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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 element table
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Recent Examples of beryllium from the Web
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Slotin was positioning a spherical beryllium shell around a plutonium pit.
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Hydrogen burns to form helium, which burns to form lithium and beryllium, and onwards until the heart of the star is made of iron.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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
Medical Dictionary
beryllium
playMedical Definition of beryllium
: a steel-gray light strong brittle toxic bivalent metallic element used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys—symbol Be; see element table
Learn More about beryllium
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beryllium
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