zirconium

noun

zir·​co·​ni·​um ˌzər-ˈkō-nē-əm 

: a steel-gray hard ductile metallic element with a high melting point that occurs widely in combined form (as in zircon), is highly resistant to corrosion, and is used especially in alloys and in refractories and ceramics see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of zirconium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike minerals produced primarily from dedicated mines, scandium is often recovered alongside other materials, such as titanium, zirconium, cobalt, nickel, and aluminum, according to Metal Tech News. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026

Researchers in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois have created a zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) nanocomposite textile material that combines passive cooling and biomechanical energy harvesting. — New Atlas, 27 Sep. 2026

The researchers used an experiment at RHIC called STAR (Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC) to pinpoint the baryon number’s transport between particles by looking at collisions of two heavy nuclei, ruthenium and zirconium. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026

These are aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium and aluminum sesquichlorohydrate. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 13 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from International Scientific Vocabulary zircon

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing zirconium

• cubic zirconium

Rhymes for zirconium

• conium
• carbonium
• harmonium
• meconium
• phosphonium
• plutonium
• polonium
• stramonium
• diazonium
• pandemonium
• pelargonium
• testimonium

Kids Definition

zirconium

noun

zir·​co·​ni·​um ˌzər-ˈkō-nē-əm 

: a steel-gray strong metallic element with a high melting point that is used especially in combination with other metals see element

Medical Definition

zirconium

noun

zir·​co·​ni·​um (ˌ)zər-ˈkō-nē-əm 

: a steel-gray strong ductile chiefly tetravalent metallic element with a high melting point

—symbol Zr see Chemical Elements Table