beryllium

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noun be·ryl·li·um \ bə-ˈri-lē-əm \

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

Slotin was positioning a spherical beryllium shell around a plutonium pit.

— patrick malone, Science | AAAS, "A near-disaster at a federal nuclear weapons," 29 June 2017
Hydrogen burns to form helium, which burns to form lithium and beryllium, and onwards until the heart of the star is made of iron.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Black-hole mergers may reveal dark past of cannibalism," 27 June 2017
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
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
Wineland, a tall, lanky man who looks a bit like Frank Zappa, has already created a 4-qubit quantum computer made of stationary beryllium ions that can perform very simple calculations.

— brian alexander, WIRED, "Atomic Rulers of the World," 1 June 2001

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beryllium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of beryllium

New Latin, from Greek bēryllion

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First Known Use: 1819

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Medical Dictionary

beryllium

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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

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beryllium

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beryllium

Definition of beryllium

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Origin and Etymology of beryllium

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beryllium

medical Definition of beryllium

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