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Glite Dictionary
columbium

columbium

1 9.9
A former name for the metal niobium used in older science books
  • noun
  • /kəˈlʌm.bi.əm/
  • Archaic
: columbio
  • In older texts, you may find references to columbium as its former name before it was officially renamed niobium.

Examples

  • The remaining 14 stages are equipped with blades made of a 403 stainless steel/columbium alloy.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The scientist explained how columbium was used in various alloys for its strength and resistance to corrosion.

  • Historically, columbium played an important role in the development of superconducting materials.

Synonyms

niobium
vscolumbium
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A soft grey metal that people use in strong steel and magnets that work at very low temperatures

is an earlier name used mainly in older scientific literature

Surface Forms

columbium singular
columbiums plural

Morphology

columbium = Columbia (semi-transparent) = columbia + ium

The suffix '-ium' transparently signals a chemical element, but the base is a proper name ('Columbia') whose referent does not help learners infer the element's properties.

Etymology

Columbium was named after Columbia, an old poetic name for 'America', because the mineral that held it was first found there. So columbium is the older name for the element now called niobium, which is why you still see columbium in older science books.