metalloid
/ˈmɛtəlɔɪd/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.52 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An element, such as silicon or germanium, intermediate in properties between that of a metal and a nonmetal; especially an elemental semiconductor.
noun
The metallic base of a fixed alkali, or alkaline earth; applied to sodium, potassium, and some other metallic substances whose metallic character was supposed to be not well defined.
Obsolete
adj
Of or relating to the metalloids.
Example Sentences
- "By some they [metals of the alkalies] were called metalloids; by some their simple nature was objected to"
- "Graham Massey of 808 State turns a Björkian moan into a vibrating siren and powers his strangely metalloid version of "Army Of Me" with it; the Brodsky String Quartet turns "Hyperballad" into a stately 3-D chess game."
- "It expanded from bleary delay rippling with looped phrases to embrace molten metalloid raunch and blues grit, acoustic guitars and pedal steels."
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek μέτᾰλλον (métăllon)der. Latin metallum Old French metalbor. Middle English metal English metal Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o- Proto-Indo-European *weyd- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *wéydos Proto-Hellenic *wéidos Ancient Greek εἶδος (eîdos) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Proto-Hellenic *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek -ειδής (-eidḗs) Latin -oīdēslbor. English -oid English metalloid From metal + -oid.