cadmium

1817, from Ancient Greek Καδμεία (Kadmeía, “calamine”), a cadmium-bearing mixture of minerals, which was named after the king Κάδμος (Kádmos, “Cadmus”).

• enPR: kăd'mēəm, IPA^(key): /ˈkædmiəm/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (General American):

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• Hyphenation: cad‧mi‧um

cadmium (countable and uncountable, plural cadmiums)

2. A chemical element (symbol Cd) with an atomic number of 48: a soft, silvery-white metal.
   • 2025 January 15, “FDA moves to eliminate carcinogenic Red 3 from foods”, in Center for Science in the Public Interest‎^[1]:

     CSPI says the Trump Administration could take steps to protect consumers from each of these chemicals and support FDA’s broader post-market assessment efforts. It could ensure that FDA sets health-protective limits on heavy metals, like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, in foods consumed by children.

3. (countable) A single atom of this element.

• greenockite
• itai-itai disease

• kadmium

From Latin cadmium. Ancient Greek Καδμεία (Kadmeía) +‎ -ium.

cadmium n (singular definite cadmiummet, not used in plural form)

1. cadmium

• “cadmium” in Den Danske Ordbog

Borrowed from German Cadmium.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑt.mi.ʏm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cad‧mi‧um

cadmium n (uncountable)

1. cadmium [from late 1810s]

• IPA^(key): /kad.mjɔm/

• Audio:

  (file)

cadmium m (uncountable)

1. cadmium

• “cadmium”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkad.mi.ũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkad̪.mi.um]

cadmium n (genitive cadmiī); second declension

1. cadmium

Second-declension noun (neuter).