Link Centre Dictionary

iridium

iri·dium

UK/ɪˈɹɪd.i.əm/ US/ˌɪˈrɪdiʌm/ rare

noun

1.

a heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group; used in alloys; occurs in natural alloys with platinum or osmium

Synonyms

Origin

From international scientific vocabulary, from New Latin iridium, from Classical Latin iris + -ium, from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris, “rainbow”), because of the bright colour of many of the element's salts.

Phrases

  • heterochromia iridium
  • iridium black
  • iridium oxide
  • iridium tetrachloride
  • iridium trichloride

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.