Main Entry:

rho·di·um

Pronunciation:

\ˈrō-dē-əm\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin, from Greek rhodon rose

Date:

1804

: a rare silvery-white hard ductile metallic element that is resistant to acids, occurs native but is usually obtained from nickel ores, and is used especially as a catalyst and in platinum alloys — see element table