strontium

[ stron-shee-uhm, -shuhm, -tee-uhm ]

nounChemistry.
  1. a bivalent, metallic element whose compounds resemble those of calcium, found in nature only in the combined state, as in strontianite: used in fireworks, flares, and tracer bullets. Symbol: Sr; atomic weight: 87.62; atomic number: 38; specific gravity: 2.6.

Origin of strontium

1
First recorded in 1800–10; stront(ia) + -ium

Other words from strontium

  • stron·tic [stron-tik], /ˈstrɒn tɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby strontium

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How to use strontium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for strontium

strontium

/ (ˈstrɒntɪəm) /


noun
  1. a soft silvery-white element of the alkaline earth group of metals, occurring chiefly in celestite and strontianite. Its compounds burn with a crimson flame and are used in fireworks. The radioisotope strontium-90, with a half-life of 28.1 years, is used in nuclear power sources and is a hazardous nuclear fall-out product. Symbol: Sr; atomic no: 38; atomic wt: 87.62; valency: 2; relative density: 2.54; melting pt: 769°C; boiling pt: 1384°C

Origin of strontium

1
C19: from New Latin, from strontian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for strontium

strontium

[ strŏnchē-əm, -tē-əm ]


Sr
  1. A soft, silvery metallic element of the alkaline-earth group that occurs naturally only as a sulfate or carbonate. One of its isotopes is used in the radiometric dating of rocks. Because strontium salts burn with a red flame, they are used to make fireworks and signal flares. Atomic number 38; atomic weight 87.62; melting point 777°C; boiling point 1,382°C; specific gravity 2.54; valence 2. See Periodic Table.

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