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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
ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Wind turbine construction requires copper, lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles need cobalt and nickel is a key part of corrosion-resistant alloys in desalinization plants.
—Todd Richmond, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
The mine sought by Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta, seeks to access copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum buried deep under the Superior National Forest.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
Below the Antarctic ice lies a treasure trove of minerals, including copper, iron, gold, silver, platinum and cobalt.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 14 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cobalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cobalt. Accessed 21 Apr. 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
