terbium
noun
ter·bi·um
| \ ˈtər-bē-əm
\
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Definition of terbium
: a metallic element of the rare-earth group with atomic number 65 that occurs naturally only in combination and that is used especially in alloys for electronic equipment and as a green phosphor (see phosphor sense 2) in electronic displays — see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of terbium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Greenland has some of the biggest deposits of neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, praseodymium, and uranium. — David Clark Scott, The Christian Science Monitor, "Three questions on Trump's Greenland gambit," 22 Aug. 2019 Neodymium, for example, is used to make magnets found in smartphone speakers and haptic feedback devices, while terbium is used to make solid state hard drives. — Klint Finley, WIRED, "Are Rare Earths the Next Pawn in the US-China Trade War?," 17 June 2019 Yet the mine's role at the center of the U.S.-China faceoff over 17 elements with names such as neodymium, terbium and europium is not without irony. — David J. Lynch, Anchorage Daily News, "China hints it will choke off U.S. ‘rare earths’ access. But it’s not that easy.," 11 June 2019 Yet the mine’s role at the center of the U.S.-China faceoff over 17 elements with names such as neodymium, terbium and europium is not without irony. — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, "China hints it will choke off U.S. ‘rare earths’ access. But it’s not that easy.," 10 June 2019 This is good news for large wind turbine manufacturers that rely on magnet generators made from neodymium and dysprosium, among other rare-earth elements like praseodymium (Pr) and terbium (Tb). — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "We've Found a New Source for Rare-Earth Elements We Need for Green Tech," 7 Mar. 2019 The new magnet Toyota developed also uses no terbium or dysprosium, which can be added to neodymium to improve its operability at high heat, above 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Toyota’s new magnet won’t depend on some key rare-earth minerals," 28 Feb. 2018 The 16 million tons of materials could contain 780 years worth of yttrium, 620 years worth of europium, 420 years worth of terbium, and 730 years worth of dysprosium. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "How the mud in this small Japanese island could change the global economy," 16 Apr. 2018 Joshua Zide, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Delaware, studies rare earth elements, particularly terbium, which is part of the chemical element combination for Saini’s discovery. — Kristen A. Schmitt, Smithsonian, "Is This New Material a Game Changer for Thermoelectricity?," 10 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'terbium.' 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 terbium
terbium
noun
ter·bi·um
| \ ˈtər-bē-əm
\
\
Medical Definition of terbium
: a usually trivalent metallic element of the rare-earth group
—symbol Tb
— see Chemical Elements Table