Strontium Definition
strŏnchē-əm, -tē-əm, -shəm
noun
A pale-yellow, metallic chemical element, one of the alkaline-earth metals, resembling calcium in properties and found only in combination: strontium compounds burn with a red flame and are used in fireworks: symbol, Sr; at. no. 38: a deadly radioactive isotope (strontium-90) is present in the fallout of nuclear explosions.
Webster's New World
The strontium isotope with mass 90, having a half-life of 28 years, used for its high-energy beta emission in certain nuclear electric power sources and constituting a radiation hazard in fallout.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
- atomic number 38
- sr
Origin of Strontium
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Named in a pseudo-Latin manner for the name of the Scottish town Strontian. The place name is from Scottish Gaelic Sròn an t- Sithein, "nose of fairy hill," said to be inhabited by the mythological sídhe.
From Wiktionary
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From New Latin strontia strontium oxide from English strontian strontianite
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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