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Glite Dictionary
holmium

holmium

1 9.9
A rare metal with very strong magnetic properties used in special alloys
  • noun
  • /ˈhoʊmiəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : holmio
  • Holmium is a trivalent metallic element known for its effectiveness in improving alloy strength.
  • holmium laser

Examples

  • The holmium element is used in specialized alloys due to its strong magnetic properties.

  • With the incorporation of cylindrical holmium pole pieces separated by a 2-mm gap, the field was enhanced to 38.7 T.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Researchers are investigating the potential applications of holmium in advanced magnetic materials.

Synonyms

Ho
vsholmium
  • Specialized
2 9.9

A rare earth metal with atomic number 67 used in magnets and lasers

is the full element name rather than its symbolic form
atomic number 67
vsholmium
  • Specialized
8.6

A rare earth metal called holmium that helps make very strong magnets

is the standard name form rather than a numeric identifier

Surface Forms

holmium singular
holmiums plural

Morphology

holmium = holm (opaque) = holm + ium

Although '-ium' is the usual ending for element names, the word is a place-name-based coinage (Holmia + -ium) and the meaning 'a metallic element' is not derivable by an average B1 learner from 'holm' + '-ium'.

Etymology

Holmium comes from Holmia, the old Latin name for 'Stockholm' in Sweden, because scientists first found the element there. That's why holmium is the name of this rare metal, now used for strong magnets and special alloys.