sodium

English

Chemical element
Na
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Next: magnesium (Mg)

Etymology

Coined by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1808, from soda +‎ -ium.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsəʊ.dɪəm/
  • (US, Canada) enPR: sōʹdē-əm, IPA(key): /ˈsoʊ.di.əm/, [ˈsoʊ.ɾi.əm]
    • Audio (California):(file)
  • (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈsəʉ.di.əm/, [ˈsəʉ.ɾi.əm], [ˈsɐʉ.ɾi.əm]
  • (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈsɐʉ.di.əm/, [ˈsɐʉ.ɾi.əm]
  • Rhymes: -əʊdiəm

Noun

sodium (usually uncountable, plural sodiums)

  1. The chemical element (symbol Na) with an atomic number of 11 and atomic weight of 22.990. It is a soft, waxy, silvery, reactive alkali metal that is never found unbound in nature.
  2. (attributive) Employing .
    • 1960 January, G. Freeman Allen, “"Condor"—British Railways' fastest freight train”, in Trains Illustrated, page 48:
      From Keighley onwards we had obviously returned to civilisation, for the surrounding country was now studded with the sodium street lights of suburbia and a thickening industrial haze was blotting out the moon.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

Anagrams

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɔ.djɔm/
  • Audio (Paris):(file)
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

sodium m (uncountable)

  1. sodium

Derived terms

Further reading