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The metallic element "cobalt" ultimately draws its name from folklore. In Middle High German, "kobolt" denoted a usually helpful household elf that engaged in nasty pranks only when it was offended. Later, early Modern German Kobold came to refer to a variety of less helpful goblins inhabiting fields and mountains. The variant "Kobolt" in the 16th century was applied by German miners to ores containing the metal cobalt, which they considered to be worthless; they believed that mountain goblins had spoiled adjacent silver ores, or had stolen the silver within the ore. The metal itself in relatively pure form was not produced and described until the 17th century, when "cobalt," with its first letter influenced by New Latin cobaltum, became part of the international language of science.
Examples of cobalt in a Sentence
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024
The renewable energy transition's dependence on critical green minerals, such as lithium, copper, nickel, and cobalt, open the door for these conversations and more about governance and supply chain.
—Monica Sanders, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Pluses include outstanding thermal stability and safety, and the elimination of toxic and expensive lithium, cobalt, copper, or nickel.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2024
The Petroleum Directorate, which on Jan. 1 changed its name to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, estimates that the country’s seabed contains large stores of cobalt, copper and rare earth metals at depths between 1,500 and 6,000 meters (4,900 to 19,700 feet).
—Todd Woody, Fortune Europe, 13 Jan. 2024
Rechargeable batteries, including those within phones and electric vehicles, are usually manufactured with cobalt, a metal plentiful in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2023
Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and graphite are essential for the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles, and the Chinese government currently controls more than 90% of the world’s supply.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
As its name suggests, the wristwatch includes fragments from the Gibeon meteorite discovered in Namibia, which comprises an iron-nickel alloy that incorporates small amounts of cobalt and phosphorous.
—Nancy Olson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
This particular meteorite was discovered in Namibia and is composed of an iron-nickel alloy, as well as small amounts of cobalt and phosphorous, together creating naturally occurring lines called the Widmanstätten pattern.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cobalt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cobalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cobalt. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
from German Kobalt "cobalt," an altered form of Kobold, literally, "goblin"; so called because its appearance in silver ore was thought to have been the work of goblins who left it in place of silver which they stole
Medical Definition
cobalt
noun
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