beryllium

noun be·ryl·li·um \ bə-ˈri-lē-əm \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of beryllium

: a toxic divalent metallic element with four protons that is steel-gray in color, light and strong but brittle, and is used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys — see Chemical Elements Table

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Recent Examples of beryllium from the Web

Harry Daghlian, another physicist at Los Alamos, had attempted a similar experiment the previous year using tungsten-carbide bricks instead of a beryllium dome.

— julian g. west, The Atlantic, "The Atomic-Bomb Core That Escaped World War II," 2 Apr. 2018
In the early summer, just as a rule to put new limits on beryllium, an industrial mineral linked to lung disease, went into effect, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a rule to revoke some of its provisions.

— eric lipton and danielle ivory, New York Times, "Trump Says His Regulatory Rollback Already Is the ‘Most Far-Reaching’," 14 Dec. 2017
In the experiments described in the paper, IBM researchers used a quantum computer to derive the lowest energy state of a molecule of beryllium hydride.

— jeremy kahn, Bloomberg.com, "IBM Makes Breakthrough in Race to Commercialize Quantum Computers," 13 Sep. 2017
In the experiment, six of these quibits were used to map the energy states of the six electrons in the beryllium hydride molecule.

— jeremy kahn, Bloomberg.com, "IBM Makes Breakthrough in Race to Commercialize Quantum Computers," 13 Sep. 2017
On the flip side, the abundances of magnesium, tin, bromine, boron, cadmium, and beryllium within the Earth appear to be significantly lower than previous estimates.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Create Most Accurate Estimate of Earth's Composition," 18 Sep. 2017
All told, 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of wreckage is expected to smack down -- the heaviest pieces made of titanium, stainless steel or beryllium.

— Fox News, "Track NASA's Falling, 6.5-Ton Satellite in Real-Time," 22 Sep. 2011
In 2015, OSHA proposed cutting the federal exposure standard to beryllium in workplaces to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air, from 2.0 micrograms.

— barry meier, New York Times, "OSHA to Roll Back Rules on Toxic Mineral at Construction Sites," 23 June 2017
The 18 segments of the mirror are made of beryllium, a metal whose molecular structure can be manipulated into one that functions like glass but that can be polished more predictably and consistently.

— jeffrey kluger, Time, "Eyes In the Sky," 22 June 2017

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Origin and Etymology of beryllium

New Latin, from Greek bēryllion

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First Known Use: 1819

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

beryllium

noun be·ryl·li·um \ bə-ˈril-ē-əm \

medical Definition of beryllium

: a steel-gray light strong brittle toxic bivalent metallic element used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys —symbol Be — see Chemical Elements Table