scandium

noun

scan·​di·​um ˈskan-dē-əm 

: a silvery-white metallic element found widely especially in association with rare earth elements and used especially in alloys and in high-intensity electric lamps see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of scandium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

China's Ministry of Commerce said seven categories of medium and heavy rare earths, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium-related items would be on this list. —John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025

Finally, scandium, used in aluminum alloys for aerospace components, has been identified as a byproduct of processing titanium ores. —Scott L. Montgomery, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025

Critical minerals that aren’t being mined – yet Geologists have identified potentially significant volumes in Ukraine of three other types of critical minerals important for energy, military and other uses: lithium, rare earth metals and scandium. —Scott L. Montgomery, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025

For example, scandium, which is often used in military applications, is priced at over $270 for a single gram. —Jeffrey Weng, National Review, 20 Dec. 2024

Lead is toxic; scandium is prohibitively expensive; tantalum is a conflict material in Central Africa and, Defay says, best avoided. —IEEE Spectrum, 29 Nov. 2023

Estimates today suggest the Earth's crust is about 0.002% lithium, ranking it between such elements as scandium and niobium - not exactly everyday elements. —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 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

With fantastical names like lanthanides, scandium and yttrium, rare-earth elements play a crucial role in renewable-energy technology, which may be our best hope for avoiding catastrophic global warming. —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin Scandia, ancient name of southern Scandinavian peninsula

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

scandium

noun

scan·​di·​um ˈskan-dē-əm 

: a silvery white metallic element found together with other rare elements see element

Medical Definition

scandium

noun

scan·​di·​um ˈskan-dē-əm 

: a white trivalent metallic element found in association with rare earth elements

—symbol Sc see Chemical Elements Table