helium

noun he·li·um \ ˈhē-lē-əm , ˈhēl-yəm \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Definition of helium

: a light colorless inert gaseous element found especially in natural gases and used chiefly for inflating airships and balloons, in lamps, in cryogenic research, and as a component of inert atmospheres (as in welding) — see Chemical Elements Table

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See helium defined for kids

Recent Examples of helium from the Web

The newspaper reported that Rami’s group creates the flaming kites by using flexible wood taken from a palm tree near his home – and have since moved on to helium balloons outfitted with destructive Molotov cocktails.

— greg norman, Fox News, "Hamas' 'terror kites' and 'arson balloons' latest destructive weapons in war against Israel," 19 June 2018
The helium balloon attraction will offer the highest vantage point in the Caribbean.

— gene sloan, USA TODAY, "Royal Caribbean unveils price list for revamped private island Perfect Day at CocoCay," 14 June 2018
The big bang generated only hydrogen and a bit of helium.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "Discovery of middleweight black holes could explain origin of million-solar-mass monster," 30 May 2018
That beat the previous record of 8 million simultaneous viewers of daredevil Felix Baumgartner falling 24 miles from a helium balloon live on YouTube in 2012.

— hiawatha bray, BostonGlobe.com, "You think Boston fans are sports mad? In India, more than 8m people watched a cricket match — on their phones," 25 May 2018
Later, that diamond will be chilled to the temperature of liquid helium.

— neil savage, Scientific American, "What Are the Limits of Manipulating Nature?," 8 May 2018
For tens of millions of years, the universe was a dark expanse, full of ionized hydrogen and helium.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Astronomers Find Signature From the Universe’s Earliest Known Stars," 22 May 2018
Jupiter is made up of the same basic ingredients as the sun — mainly hydrogen and helium.

— brian resnick, Vox, "The awesome beauty of Jupiter, in 13 photos," 21 May 2018
In phase two, the students sent the boxes up in helium balloons to practice wireless communication with the satellites.

— jacob demmitt, The Christian Science Monitor, "Virginia students plan for mission to space," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'helium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of helium

New Latin, from Greek hēlios

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1871

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

HELIUM Defined for English Language Learners

helium

noun

Definition of helium for English Language Learners

: a chemical element that is a colorless gas, that is lighter than air, and that is often used to fill balloons

HELIUM Defined for Kids

helium

noun he·li·um \ ˈhē-lē-əm \

Definition of helium for Students

: a very light gaseous chemical element that is found in various natural gases, will not burn, and is used in balloons

Medical Dictionary

helium

noun he·li·um \ ˈhē-lē-əm \

medical Definition of helium

: a light colorless nonflammable gaseous element found especially in natural gases and used chiefly for inflating airships and balloons, for filling incandescent lamps, and for cryogenic research —symbol He — see Chemical Elements Table