Main Entry:

mag·ne·sium

Pronunciation:

\mag-ˈnē-zē-əm, -zhəm\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin, from magnesia

Date:

1812

: a silver-white malleable ductile light metallic element that occurs abundantly in nature and is used in metallurgical and chemical processes, in photography, signaling, and pyrotechnics because of the intense white light it produces on burning, and in construction especially in the form of light alloys — see element table