What does germanium mean?

Definitions for germanium
dʒərˈmeɪ ni əmger·ma·ni·um

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word germanium.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. germanium, Ge, atomic number 32noun

    a brittle grey crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors; occurs in germanite and argyrodite

GCIDE

  1. Germaniumnoun

    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.

Wiktionary

  1. germaniumnoun

    a nonmetallic chemical element (symbol Ge) with an atomic number of 32.

  2. Etymology: Germania + -ium

Wikipedia

  1. Germanium

    Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbors silicon and tin. Like silicon, germanium naturally reacts and forms complexes with oxygen in nature. Because it seldom appears in high concentration, germanium was discovered comparatively late in the discovery of the elements. Germanium ranks near fiftieth in relative abundance of the elements in the Earth's crust. In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev predicted its existence and some of its properties from its position on his periodic table, and called the element ekasilicon. In 1886, Clemens Winkler at Freiberg University found the new element, along with silver and sulfur, in the mineral argyrodite. Winkler named the element after his country, Germany. Germanium is mined primarily from sphalerite (the primary ore of zinc), though germanium is also recovered commercially from silver, lead, and copper ores. Elemental germanium is used as a semiconductor in transistors and various other electronic devices. Historically, the first decade of semiconductor electronics was based entirely on germanium. Presently, the major end uses are fibre-optic systems, infrared optics, solar cell applications, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Germanium compounds are also used for polymerization catalysts and have most recently found use in the production of nanowires. This element forms a large number of organogermanium compounds, such as tetraethylgermanium, useful in organometallic chemistry. Germanium is considered a technology-critical element.Germanium is not thought to be an essential element for any living organism. Similar to silicon and aluminium, naturally-occurring germanium compounds tend to be insoluble in water and thus have little oral toxicity. However, synthetic soluble germanium salts are nephrotoxic, and synthetic chemically reactive germanium compounds with halogens and hydrogen are irritants and toxins.

ChatGPT

  1. germanium

    Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is a brittle, grayish-white, semi-metallic element that is part of the carbon group of elements. Germanium is primarily used as a semiconductor in transistors and other electronic devices. It is also used in the production of some types of solar cells, fiber-optic systems, and infrared optics. The element was first discovered by German chemist Clemens Winkler in 1886.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Germaniumnoun

    a rare element, recently discovered (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 weight 72.3

  2. Etymology: [NL., fr. L. Germania Germany.]

Wikidata

  1. Germanium

    Germanium is a chemical element with symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is a lustrous, hard, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbors tin and silicon. Purified germanium is a semiconductor, with an appearance most similar to elemental silicon. Like silicon, germanium naturally reacts and forms complexes with oxygen in nature. Unlike silicon, it is too reactive to be found naturally on Earth in the free state. Because very few minerals contain it in high concentration, germanium was discovered comparatively late in the history of chemistry. Germanium ranks near fiftieth in relative abundance of the elements in the Earth's crust. In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev predicted its existence and some of its properties based on its position on his periodic table and called the element ekasilicon. Nearly two decades later, in 1886, Clemens Winkler found the new element along with silver and sulfur, in a rare mineral called argyrodite. Although the new element somewhat resembled arsenic and antimony in appearance, its combining ratios in the new element's compounds agreed with Mendeleev's predictions for a relative of silicon. Winkler named the element after his country, Germany. Today, germanium is mined primarily from sphalerite, though germanium is also recovered commercially from silver, lead, and copper ores.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Germanium

    jėr-mā′ni-um, n. an element discovered in 1885 in argyrodite.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Germanium

    A rare metal element with a blue-gray appearance and atomic symbol Ge, atomic number 32, and atomic weight 72.59.

Entomology

  1. Germanium

    an ovary: that portion of an ovarian tube containing the cell elements.

Matched Categories

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce germanium?

How to say germanium in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of germanium in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of germanium in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Popularity rank by frequency of use

germanium#10000#53236#100000

Translations for germanium

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for germanium »

Translation

Find a translation for the germanium definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"germanium." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/germanium>.

Discuss these germanium definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for germanium? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    germanium

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    malicious satisfaction
    A gloat
    B abet
    C monish
    D huff

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for germanium: