selenium
noun
se·le·ni·um
| \ sə-ˈlē-nē-əm
\
\
Definition of selenium
: a photosensitive element that occurs in both crystalline and amorphous forms, is obtained chiefly as a by-product in copper refining, and is used especially in glass, semiconductor devices, and alloys — see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of selenium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The leaders want state and federal officials to fund better long-term water quality monitoring and to adopt a strict water quality standard for selenium. — USA TODAY, "Big butter sculpture, sweet guitar, owl released: News from around our 50 states," 24 July 2019 Years in the future this would create a toxic environment for many animals, exceeding chronic exposure standards for cadmium, copper, zinc, and selenium, the EIS notes. — Douglas Main, National Geographic, "In a land of wild cats and scarce water, a battle over mining heats up," 25 Apr. 2019 Coal ash can contain potentially harmful substances such as arsenic, lead, cobalt, and selenium. — Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al.com, "Alabama Power sticks to plan to cover coal ash ponds, despite concerns," 12 July 2019 Multivitamins and other supplements — including selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D alone, calcium alone, folic acid and iron — did not have a significant effect on death or heart disease, according to the study. — Steven Reinberg, chicagotribune.com, "More evidence supplements won’t help the heart," 11 July 2019 Lab meats can have the beneficial nutrients of meat—iron, vitamin B12, selenium, niacin, and so forth—while also cutting down on the bad stuff, namely the cholesterol and fat content, by integrating only as much as is needed for flavor. — Amanda Little, The New Republic, "The Meat Mogul’s Case For Lab-Grown Beef," 1 July 2019 Fish is also rich in vitamin D, selenium and protein. — Jenna Birch, Washington Post, "From fish to bacon, a ranking of meats in order of healthiness," 3 July 2019 Elsewhere groundwater is poisoned, as minerals such as arsenic, uranium and selenium are concentrated in the depleted aquifer. — Gerard Helferich, WSJ, "‘The Dreamt Land’ Review: California’s Precious Resource," 14 June 2019 The samples were sent to an independent lab for analysis and showed elevated levels of pollutants, including lead, selenium, vanadium, barium, cadmium, cobalt, manganese, and arsenic. — Dennis Pillion, AL.com, "Mobile Baykeeper: Coal ash endangers 'America's Amazon,' Mobile-Tensaw Delta," 28 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'selenium.' 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 selenium
selenium
noun
English Language Learners Definition of selenium
technical
: a chemical element that is used in electronic devices to make them sensitive to light
See the full definition for selenium in the English Language Learners Dictionary
selenium
noun
se·le·ni·um
| \ sə-ˈlē-nē-əm
\
\
Kids Definition of selenium
: a gray powdery chemical element used chiefly in electronic devices
selenium
noun
se·le·ni·um
| \ sə-ˈlē-nē-əm
\
\
Medical Definition of selenium
: a nonmetallic photosensitive element that occurs in both crystalline and amorphous forms, is an essential trace element found especially in grains and meat, and is used chiefly in glass, semiconductor devices, and alloys
—symbol Se
— see Chemical Elements Table, selenosis
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