europium

noun

eu·​ro·​pi·​um yu̇-ˈrō-pē-əm 

: a metallic chemical element of the rare-earth group that is used especially in television screens and fluorescent lamps see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of europium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the last half of the 20th century, europium, with atomic number 63, came in to wide demand for its role as a color-producing phosphor in video screens, including computer monitors and plasma TVs. —Stanley Merzman, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2018

Rare earth elements are a set of 17 metallic elements, such as neodymium, europium, and dysprosium. —Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2023

All the rare earths, europium is perhaps the most visible. —Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2011

The 17 rare earth metals, some with exotic names like lanthanum and europium, form unusually strong lightweight magnetic materials. —Eliza Strickland, Discover Magazine, 15 Oct. 2010

The same goes for the use of europium and terbium in lighting applications. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 May 2022

In practice, thorium and uranium are difficult to measure in this way, so in the new study, the researchers propose to instead look for europium—another element produced by neutron star collisions that sports a clearer spectroscopic signature. —Marcus Woo, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2020

But if the findings turn out to be true, a search for stellar europium could help astronomers find the planetary systems most likely to harbor habitable worlds. —Marcus Woo, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2020

During the last 34 million years, the fossils slowly absorbed yttrium, europium, terbium, and dysprosium from the fluid trapped in the mud. —Jennifer Frazer, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Europa Europe

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for europium

• opium

Kids Definition

europium

noun

eu·​ro·​pi·​um yu̇-ˈrō-pē-əm 

: a soft rare metallic chemical element see element

Medical Definition

europium

noun

eu·​ro·​pi·​um yu̇-ˈrō-pē-əm 

: a bivalent and trivalent metallic element of the rare-earth group found in monazite sand

—symbol Eu see Chemical Elements Table