Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

selenium

/sɪˈliːni.əm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English

Syllables
se-le-ni-um
IPA
/sɪˈliːni.əm/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nonmetallic chemical element (symbol Se) with an atomic number of 34, used mainly in glassmaking and pigments and as a semiconductor.

Uncountable

noun

An atom of this element.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From French sélénium, the name coined by Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1818 from Ancient Greek σελήνη (selḗnē, “moon”) in reference to original confusion with the similar element tellurium.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: sélénium, σελήνη

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /sɪˈliːni.əm/
  • British English: /sɪˈliːni.əm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

seleniums (plural)

Derived Forms

diselenium nonselenium organoselenium radioselenium selane selenate seleniate selenide seleniferous selenious selenite seleniuret

Phrases

hydroselenic acid metallic selenium selen- selenic acid selenio- seleno- selenious acid selenium cell

Synonyms

se atomic number 34

Rhymes With

rhenium asplenium ferrocenium nitrenium splenium athenium

Questions

How do you pronounce selenium?
The recorded pronunciation is /sɪˈliːni.əm/.
What does selenium mean?
A nonmetallic chemical element (symbol Se) with an atomic number of 34, used mainly in glassmaking and pigments and as a semiconductor.
Where does selenium come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce selenium

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “selenium”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sɪˈliːni.əm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “selenium”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “selenium” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.