tellurium

noun

tel·lu·ri·um | \ tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm

, te- \

Definition of tellurium

: a semimetallic element that occurs in a silvery-white brittle crystalline form of metallic luster, in a dark amorphous form, or combined with metals and that is used especially in alloys and catalysts — see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of tellurium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Most of the worries about solar panel production have focused on the elements that go into the panels themselves, like gallium, cadmium, germanium, indium, selenium, and tellurium. — Doug Johnson, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2022 Rio Tinto is building a plant at Kennecott that will recover tellurium, a critical mineral used in solar panels, from ore that has been dug up for its copper. — Rhiannon Hoyle, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2021 The United States is more than 75% import reliant on an additional 10 critical minerals: antimony, barite, bauxite, bismuth, potash, rhenium, tellurium, tin, titanium concentrate, and uranium. — Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2021 Depending on the kind of technology used, a solar module typically requires materials such as glass, silicon, copper, silver, aluminium, cadmium, tellurium, indium, gallium and selenium. — Mayank Aggarwal, Quartz, 26 May 2021 The researchers suggest that a family of mercury-cadmium-tellurium compounds appears to have the right properties. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2020 The list also includes elements crucial to alternative forms of energy, such as tellurium found in solar panels and lithium used in batteries in electric cars and cellphones. — Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 21 May 2018 See More

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

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Dictionary Entries Near tellurium

tellurite

tellurium

tellurized

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Cite this Entry

“Tellurium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tellurium. Accessed 17 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for tellurium

tellurium

noun

tel·lu·ri·um | \ tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm, te-

Medical Definition of tellurium

: a semimetallic element related to selenium and sulfur that occurs in a silvery white brittle crystalline form of metallic luster, in a dark amorphous form, or combined with metals and that is used especially in alloys —symbol Te — see Chemical Elements Table