didymium

di·dym·i·um

 (dī-dĭm′ē-əm)

n.

1. A metallic mixture, once considered an element, composed of neodymium and praseodymium.

2. A mixture of rare-earth elements and their oxides used chiefly in manufacturing and in coloring various forms of glass.

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[From Greek didumos, twin, double (from the fact that it was usually found associated with the previously discovered lanthanum ); see dwo- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

didymium

(daɪˈdɪmɪəm; dɪ-)

n

1. (Elements & Compounds) a mixture of the metallic rare earths neodymium and praseodymium, once thought to be an element

2. (Elements & Compounds) a mixture of rare earths and their oxides used in colouring glass

3. (Colours) a mixture of rare earths and their oxides used in colouring glass

[C19: from New Latin, from Greek didumos twin + -ium]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

di•dym•i•um

(daɪˈdɪm i əm, dɪ-)

n.

a mixture of neodymium and praseodymium formerly thought to be an element. Symbol: Di

[< Greek dídym(os) twin (see didymous) + New Latin -ium -ium²; so named by Swedish chemist Carl Mosander (1797–1858), who discovered it in 1843, from its close association with lanthanum]

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