Did you know?
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
Andrew Natsios, Foreign Affairs, 7 Feb. 2025
The key to everything turns out to be cobalt, a vital element for things like phone batteries.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
After that wildfire was quelled, experts found that ash contained a myriad of heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, copper and cobalt.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2025
The firm plans to mine the polymetallic nodules for valuable rare earth metals like cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, which are used in solar panels, smartphones, wind turbines and batteries.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cobalt 
Dictionary Entries Near cobalt
Cite this Entry
“Cobalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cobalt. Accessed 21 Feb. 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
Share