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Definition of coltan
: a dull black ore that consists of a mixture of columbite and tantalite and is a minor source of tantalum
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Recent Examples of coltan from the Web
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In central Africa, miners go into rain forests to dig for an ore called coltan that ends up in phone circuits.
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The war was fueled by the region’s immense natural riches, which include gold, diamonds, tin, timber and coltan, a mineral essential to the manufacture of smartphones and other consumer electronics.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coltan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of coltan
International Scientific Vocabulary columbo-tantalite, from columbite + -o- + tantalite
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