: a metallic chemical element of the rare-earth group with atomic number 68 that is used especially in lasers, infrared light filters, and optical fibers see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of erbium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The extra proton changes the erbium atom to thulium and releases energy.
—
Bayarbadrakh Baramsai, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Feb. 2022
The groups started with gases of dysprosium and erbium atoms, which are intrinsically magnetic enough to act like little bar magnets.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
The practical choice of materials for solar cells are lanthanides like ytterbium or erbium, which have multiple energy levels for electrons to occupy.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2022
Four of those elements are named in tribute to the village (ytterbium, erbium, terbium, yttrium).
—Mark Lorch, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2016
The UltraClear laser operates at the 2,910-nanometer wavelength using an erbium diode fiber, purportedly at the sweet spot where both pain (0–3 on a scale of 1–10) and downtime (roughly four days) are minimized.
—Jessica Ourisman, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 June 2023
Three of those elements—ytterbium, erbium, and terbium—were simply given additional variants on the name of Ytterby, while the other three were named holmium (for Stockholm), scandium, and thulium (both from the Latin for Scandinavia), in the nationalistic fashion then in favor.
—Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2011
The practical choice of materials for solar cells are lanthanides like ytterbium or erbium, which have multiple energy levels for electrons to occupy.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2022
Four of those elements are named in tribute to the village (ytterbium, erbium, terbium, yttrium).
—Mark Lorch, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2016
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bayarbadrakh Baramsai, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Feb. 2022
The groups started with gases of dysprosium and erbium atoms, which are intrinsically magnetic enough to act like little bar magnets.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
The practical choice of materials for solar cells are lanthanides like ytterbium or erbium, which have multiple energy levels for electrons to occupy.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2022
Four of those elements are named in tribute to the village (ytterbium, erbium, terbium, yttrium).
—Mark Lorch, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2016
The UltraClear laser operates at the 2,910-nanometer wavelength using an erbium diode fiber, purportedly at the sweet spot where both pain (0–3 on a scale of 1–10) and downtime (roughly four days) are minimized.
—Jessica Ourisman, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 June 2023
Three of those elements—ytterbium, erbium, and terbium—were simply given additional variants on the name of Ytterby, while the other three were named holmium (for Stockholm), scandium, and thulium (both from the Latin for Scandinavia), in the nationalistic fashion then in favor.
—Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2011
The practical choice of materials for solar cells are lanthanides like ytterbium or erbium, which have multiple energy levels for electrons to occupy.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2022
Four of those elements are named in tribute to the village (ytterbium, erbium, terbium, yttrium).
—Mark Lorch, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2016
Dictionary Entries Near erbium
Cite this Entry
“Erbium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erbium. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
erbium
noun
er·bi·um
ˈər-bē-əm 
: a metallic element of the rare-earth group that occurs with yttrium
—symbol Er
see Chemical Elements Table
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share