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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
Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Demand for battery minerals is surging beyond just lithium, with automakers competing for supplies of nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2026
Materials like lithium and cobalt are essential for electric vehicle batteries, advanced electronics, military systems, and renewable energy technologies.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Feb. 2026
It is endowed with some of the richest mineral supplies on earth, including some 70 percent of the world’s cobalt, as well as huge reserves of copper and a Mendeleevian constellation of other metals.
—Nicolas Niarchos, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cobalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cobalt. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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
