gallium

noun

gal·​li·​um ˈga-lē-əm 

: a bluish-white metallic element obtained especially as a by-product in refining various ores and used especially in semiconductors and optoelectronic devices see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of gallium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Putting that in your bones might sound like a bad idea, but gallium ions are known to enter cells through a particular receptor, which is extremely elevated in cancer. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2024

This time the metal in question was gallium, which is toxic to cells. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2024

Exports other metals, and the equipment used to produce them, have also been restricted by the Chinese Government, including germanium, gallium, and some rare earths such as neodymium and praseodymium used to make permanent magnets which also have industrial and military uses. —Tim Treadgold, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024

As part of those talks, senior U.S. officials have been working with their Japanese counterparts on a strategy to ensure adequate supplies of critical minerals, some of the people said, especially since China imposed restrictions on the exports of gallium, germanium and graphite last year. —Mahnoor Khan, Fortune Asia, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Gallia "Gaul, France" (going back to Latin) + -ium -ium

Note: The element was named by the first person to isolate it, the French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran (1838-1912), reported in "Caractères chimiques et spectroscopiques dʼun nouveau métal, le Gallium, découvert dans une blende de la mine de Pierrefitte, vallée dʼArgelès," Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de lʼAcadémie des Sciences, tome 81 (juillet-décembre 1875), pp. 493-95. In a later publication, Lecoq de Boisbaudran explained the origin of the name: " … jʼai aperçu les premiers indices de lʼexistence dʼun nouvel élément, que jʼai nommé «gallium» en lʼhonneur de la France (Gallia)" (" … I perceived the first signs of the existence of a new element, which I named "gallium" in honor of France (Gallia)") ("Sur un nouveau métal, le gallium," Annales de chimie et de physique, 5. série, tome 10 [1877], p. 103). The later hypothesis that gallium was formed from Latin gallus "cock," as a translation of the chemistʼs surname "Lecoq," is without apparent foundation. (Though the evidence is clear, there is on the other hand no indication that Lecoq de Boisbaudran ever explicitly denied the association.)

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gallium

• gallium arsenide

Kids Definition

gallium

noun

gal·​li·​um ˈgal-ē-əm 

: a bluish white metallic element see element

Medical Definition

gallium

noun

gal·​li·​um ˈgal-ē-əm 

: a rare bluish white metallic element that is hard and brittle at low temperatures but melts just above room temperature and expands on freezing and that is used in the form of its hydrated nitrate salt Ga(NO₃)₃·9H₂O to treat hypercalcemia caused by certain cancers

—symbol Ga see Chemical Elements Table