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The metallic element "cobalt" ultimately draws its name from folklore. In Middle High German, "kobolt" denoted a usually helpful household elf that engaged in nasty pranks only when it was offended. Later, early Modern German Kobold came to refer to a variety of less helpful goblins inhabiting fields and mountains. The variant "Kobolt" in the 16th century was applied by German miners to ores containing the metal cobalt, which they considered to be worthless; they believed that mountain goblins had spoiled adjacent silver ores, or had stolen the silver within the ore. The metal itself in relatively pure form was not produced and described until the 17th century, when "cobalt," with its first letter influenced by New Latin cobaltum, became part of the international language of science.
Examples of cobalt in a Sentence
Sam Meredith, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Large swathes of the deep-sea floor contain nodules of the critical minerals cobalt, copper, manganese and nickel.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
Yet, mining practices for cobalt and nickel raise ethical and environmental concerns, so alternatives are being explored.
—Sahit Muja, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement What is deep-sea mining? Deep-sea mining is the process of extracting metals and minerals—including nickel, cobalt, and copper—from the sea floor.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 16 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cobalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cobalt. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
from German Kobalt "cobalt," an altered form of Kobold, literally, "goblin"; so called because its appearance in silver ore was thought to have been the work of goblins who left it in place of silver which they stole
Medical Definition
cobalt
noun
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