cobalt

noun

co·balt | \ ˈkō-ˌbȯlt

Definition of cobalt

1 : a tough lustrous silver-white magnetic metallic element that is related to and occurs with iron and nickel and is used especially in alloys — see Chemical Elements Table

2 : cobalt blue sense 2

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Did You Know?

The metallic element "cobalt" ultimately draws its name from folklore. In Middle High German, "kobolt" denoted a usually helpful household elf that engaged in nasty pranks only when it was offended. Later, early Modern German Kobold came to refer to a variety of less helpful goblins inhabiting fields and mountains. The variant "Kobolt" in the 16th century was applied by German miners to ores containing the metal cobalt, which they considered to be worthless; they believed that mountain goblins had spoiled adjacent silver ores, or had stolen the silver within the ore. The metal itself in relatively pure form was not produced and described until the 17th century, when "cobalt," with its first letter influenced by New Latin cobaltum, became part of the international language of science.

Examples of cobalt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Deep sea hydrothermal vents, like the ones where the sea pangolin lives, are especially attractive since hydrothermal processes can concentrate gold, zinc, cobalt, and lithium in areas around the vents. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Deep-Sea Snail Builds Its Own Ironclad Suit of Armor. But Even That Can’t Protect It From Ocean Mining," 26 July 2019 The rarer materials like cobalt and lithium, though, often come from places rife with war and child labor. — Akshat Rathi, Quartz, "Europe’s battery leadership can help clean up the global metals supply chain," 7 Aug. 2019 Think scarlet, peach, pink, amber, sienna, and gold versus cooler teal, eggplant, emerald, aqua, and cobalt. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "How to Use Warm Colors in Your Home, According to Interior Designers," 25 July 2019 Brazil, for example, filed an application in December 2018 that included the Rio Grande Rise, a deep-ocean mountain range 1500 kilometers southeast of Rio De Janeiro that's covered in cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. — Richard Kemeny, Science | AAAS, "As countries battle for control of North Pole, science is the ultimate winner," 20 June 2019 Some of them, including cobalt, are mined by hand, reportedly sometimes by children, in desperately poor countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo. — Andrew Mcafee, WIRED, "How the iPhone Helped Save the Planet," 29 June 2019 The pair both rocked a few coats of mascara, glossy lips, and slicked back buns: Jorja’s piecy, and Rina’s cobalt and braided. — Vogue, "The Best Beauty Instagrams of the Week: Beyoncé, Jorja Smith, Rina Sawayama, and More," 9 June 2019 Getting at the cobalt, nickel, iron and other metals contained in these crusts would mean cutting and scraping the bottom. — Nathanial Gronewold, Scientific American, "Seabed-Mining Foes Press U.N. to Weigh Climate Impacts," 16 July 2019 Coal ash can contain potentially harmful substances such as arsenic, lead, cobalt, and selenium. — Dennis Pillion | [email protected], al.com, "Alabama Power sticks to plan to cover coal ash ponds, despite concerns," 12 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cobalt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for cobalt

cobalt

noun

English Language Learners Definition of cobalt

: a hard, shiny, silver-white metal that is often mixed with other metals

See the full definition for cobalt in the English Language Learners Dictionary

cobalt

noun

co·balt | \ ˈkō-ˌbȯlt

Kids Definition of cobalt

: a tough shiny silvery white metallic chemical element found with iron and nickel

cobalt

noun

co·balt | \ ˈkō-ˌbȯlt

Medical Definition of cobalt

: a tough lustrous silver-white magnetic metallic element that is related to and occurs with iron and nickel and is used especially in alloys —symbol Co — see Chemical Elements Table

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cobalt

Definition of cobalt

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Examples of cobalt in a Sentence

First Known Use of cobalt

History and Etymology for cobalt

English Language Learners Definition of cobalt

Kids Definition of cobalt

Medical Definition of cobalt

cobalt

Definition of cobalt

Did You Know?

Examples of cobalt in a Sentence

First Known Use of cobalt

History and Etymology for cobalt

English Language Learners Definition of cobalt

Kids Definition of cobalt

Medical Definition of cobalt

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