holmium

American  

[hohl-mee-uhm] / ˈhoʊl mi əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare-earth, trivalent element found in gadolinite. Ho; 164.930; 67.

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holmium British  

/ ˈhɒlmɪəm /

noun

1. a malleable silver-white metallic element of the lanthanide series. Symbol: Ho; atomic no: 67; atomic wt: 164.93032; valency: 3; relative density: 8.795; melting pt: 1474°C; boiling pt: 2700°C

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holmium Scientific  

/ hōl′mē-əm /

1. A soft, silvery, malleable metallic element of the lanthanide series. Its compounds are highly magnetic. It is mainly used in scientific research but has also been used to make electronic devices. Atomic number 67; atomic weight 164.930; melting point 1,461°C; boiling point 2,600°C; specific gravity 8.803; valence 3.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of holmium

< New Latin (1879), equivalent to Holm ( ia ) Stockholm + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

In October, China added holmium to the list of restricted materials, putting an end to the gambit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

After an agreement that month between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to ease rare-earth exports, China delayed enforcement of holmium export controls by one year, potentially reviving the loophole for a time period.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

Heavy rare-earth elements include dysprosium, terbium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, and yttrium.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

The 17 elements are: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, yttrium.

From Reuters • Jul. 5, 2023