vanadium: Meaning and Definition of

va•na•di•um

Pronunciation: (vu-nā'dē-um), [key]
— n. Chem.
  1. a rare element occurring in certain minerals and obtained as a light-gray powder with a silvery luster or as a ductile metal: used as an ingredient of steel to toughen it and increase its shock resistance. Symbol: V; at. wt.: 50.942; at. no.: 23; sp. gr.: 5.96.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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