rare earth element
nounDefinition of rare earth element
: any of a series of metallic elements of which the oxides are classed as rare earths and which include the elements of the lanthanide series and sometimes yttrium and scandium
— called also rare earth metal
Examples of rare earth element in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One possible arena for retaliation, in the minds of analysts: rare earth elements. — Klint Finley, WIRED, "Are Rare Earths the Next Pawn in the US-China Trade War?," 17 June 2019 These rare earth elements come from swirls of dust deposited during the winter storms, so the elements’ prevalence is a reliable gauge of storm intensity. — Quanta Magazine, "Cores From Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 29 May 2018 President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2017 instructing federal agencies to ensure the availability of critical minerals such as rare earth elements. — Klint Finley, WIRED, "Are Rare Earths the Next Pawn in the US-China Trade War?," 17 June 2019 Some analysts have asked whether there are similarly irreplaceable assets on the Chinese side – such as rare earth elements exported to the U.S. – to be used as reciprocal leverage. — Ling Chen, Washington Post, "How this trade war could backfire — in China’s favor," 25 June 2018 These rare earth elements come from swirls of dust deposited during the winter storms, so the elements’ prevalence is a reliable gauge of storm intensity. — Elizabeth Svoboda, Scientific American, "Cores from Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 6 June 2018 These rare earth elements come from swirls of dust deposited during the winter storms, so the elements’ prevalence is a reliable gauge of storm intensity. — Quanta Magazine, "Cores From Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 29 May 2018 Others, like rare earth elements, are in comparatively short supply. — Andrew Mcafee, WIRED, "How the iPhone Helped Save the Planet," 29 June 2019 These rare earth elements come from swirls of dust deposited during the winter storms, so the elements’ prevalence is a reliable gauge of storm intensity. — Quanta Magazine, "Cores From Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 29 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rare earth element.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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