antimony

noun

an·​ti·​mo·​ny ˈan-tə-ˌmō-nē 

1

: stibnite

2

: a trivalent and pentavalent metalloid element with atomic number 51 that commonly occurs in a brittle, metallic, silvery white crystalline form and that is used especially in alloys, semiconductors, and flame-retardant substances see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of antimony in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The mine was later re-tooled and was able to produce about 90% of U.S. antimony needs during World War II. —David Blackmon, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

Last month, Beijing banned the export of gallium, germanium, and antimony, key metals used in chipmaking, to the U.S. after the U.S. Commerce Department subjected more Chinese companies to export controls. —Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 3 Jan. 2025

The export restrictions have had a mixed impact on prices for those critical minerals, with the price of antimony more than doubling this year to over $25,000 per ton. —Elaine Kurtenbach, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024

In December, China’s restrictions on the export of antimony, along with some other critical minerals, were switched to an outright ban on its export to the United States. —Jeffrey Weng, National Review, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English antimonie, from Medieval Latin antimonium

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

antimony

noun

an·​ti·​mo·​ny ˈant-ə-ˌmō-nē 

: a metallic silvery white element that is used especially in alloys and medicine see element

Medical Definition

antimony

noun

an·​ti·​mo·​ny ˈant-ə-ˌmō-nē 

plural antimonies

: a trivalent and pentavalent metalloid element that is commonly metallic silvery white, crystalline, and brittle and is used especially in alloys and semiconductors and in medicine as a constituent of various antiprotozoal agents (as tartar emetic)

—symbol Sb see Chemical Elements Table