tellurium

noun

tel·​lu·​ri·​um tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm How to pronounce tellurium (audio)
te-
: 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
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In addition to gold and copper, the drilling found tellurium, a metal used in the production of solar cells. Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 29 Sep. 2025 The material’s magnetic alloy, composed of cobalt, iron, germanium, and tellurium, supports ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism in a single structure. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025 One of the study’s clear limits is that the researchers based their calculations on high future growth rates for thin-film solar panels, which depend heavily on indium, cadmium, tellurium, and tin. Alexander C. Kaufman, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025 In addition, Utah has significant amounts of tellurium that can be taken from tailings from copper mining and used in defense technologies. Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for tellurium

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin tellur-, tellus earth

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tellurium was in 1800

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Cite this Entry

“Tellurium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tellurium. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

tellurium

noun
tel·​lu·​ri·​um tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm How to pronounce tellurium (audio)
te-
: an element that occurs in a silvery white brittle form having a metallic shine or in combination with metals and is used especially in alloys and catalysts see element

Medical Definition

tellurium

noun
tel·​lu·​ri·​um tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm, te- How to pronounce tellurium (audio)
: 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

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