germanium
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (1)
- a brittle grey crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors; occurs in germanite and argyroditeSynonyms: Geatomic number 32Type of semiconductor, semiconducting materialSubstance of argyrodite, germanite
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Ger·ma′ni·um noun
Origin: NL., fr. L. Germania Germany.
Chemistry A rare element, discovered in 1885 in a silver ore (argyrodite) at Freiberg. It is a brittle, silver-white metal, chemically intermediate between the metals and nonmetals, resembles tin, and is in general identical with the predicted ekasilicon. Symbol Ge. Atomic number 32. Atomic weight 72.59. It has excellent semiconductor properties, and is used in transistors and diodes.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC