thal·li·um
| \ ˈtha-lē-əm
\
\
Definition of thallium
: a soft poisonous metallic element that resembles lead in physical properties, occurs sparsely in a number of common ores, and is used chiefly in the form of compounds especially in photosensitive devices and formerly as a pesticide — see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of thallium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many notable revolutionaries are associated with equally notable facial hair—from Emiliano Zapata and Karl Marx to Fidel Castro, whose beard was so iconic that the C.I.A. wanted to remove it, via thallium salts in his shoes.
—
Rachel Lipstein, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2020
Specifically, the group says the creek has shown signs of elevated concentrations of mercury, and elevated levels of arsenic, molybdenum, selenium, copper and thallium from mining in the area.
—
William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 1 Mar. 2020
That volcano emits fumes with a thallium concentration at least ten times higher than any other volcanic vapors ever studied.
—
Sophia Chen, WIRED, 1 July 2019
The substance that condensed inside the tube, upon analysis, contained an abnormally large amount of thallium.
—
Sophia Chen, WIRED, 1 July 2019
But a second hair from March 1995 showed Zhu Ling had ingested large doses of thallium constantly for about two weeks.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 Dec. 2018
Ash found that Zhu Ling had received many doses of toxic thallium, increasing in frequency and concentration over time.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 Dec. 2018
Lead, arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, selenium, thallium, and uranium are among the chemicals and heavy metals listed with coal ash deposits.
—
Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal, 18 May 2018
Ash storage sites at the plant are leaking into surface water and groundwater upstream of drinking water intakes for more than 1 million people in the Charlotte region, the report says, calling the thallium and radium results alarming.
—
Deon Roberts, charlotteobserver, 20 Mar. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thallium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More About thallium
Statistics for thallium
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Thallium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thallium. Accessed 29 Aug. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Seen & Heard
People are talking about
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for thallium
thallium
noun
thal·li·um
| \ ˈthal-ē-əm
\
\
Medical Definition of thallium
: a sparsely but widely distributed poisonous metallic element that resembles lead in physical properties and is used chiefly in the form of compounds in photoelectric cells or as a pesticide
—symbol Tl
— see Chemical Elements Table
Test Your Vocabulary
Difficult Spelling Words Quiz
-
- Which is the correct spelling?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share thallium
Time Traveler for thallium
The first known use of thallium was in 1861
See more words from the same year