halogen

hal·o·gen  (hl-jn)

n.

Any of a group of five chemically related nonmetallic elements including fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.

---

[Swedish : halo-, halo- + -gen, -gen.]

---

ha·loge·nous (h-lj-ns) adj.

---

halogen [hal-oh-jen]

Noun

Chem any of the nonmetallic chemical elements fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine which form salts when combined with metal [Greek hals salt + -genēs born]

---

halogen  (hl-jn)

Any of a group of five nonmetallic elements with similar properties. The halogens are fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. Because they are missing an electron from their outermost shell, they react readily with most metals to form salts. See Periodic Table.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

halogen - any of five related nonmetallic elements (fluorine or chlorine or bromine or iodine or astatine) that are all monovalent and readily form negative ions group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit astatine, At, atomic number 85 - a highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series); a decay product of uranium and thorium atomic number 35, Br, bromine - a nonmetallic heavy volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element belonging to the halogens; found in sea water atomic number 17, chlorine, Cl - a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; best known as a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt (as in sea water) atomic number 9, fluorine, F - a nonmetallic univalent element belonging to the halogens; usually a yellow irritating toxic flammable gas; a powerful oxidizing agent; recovered from fluorite or cryolite or fluorapatite atomic number 53, I, iodin, iodine - a nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used especially in medicine and photography and in dyes; occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities (as in sea water or rocks)