gallium

UK: /ˈɡælɪəm/ US: (gal′ē əm)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

gal•li•um  (gal′ē əm), n. [Chem.]

1. Chemistry a rare, steel-gray, trivalent metallic element used in high-temperature thermometers because of its high boiling point (1983°C) and low melting point (30°C). Symbol: Ga;
   at. wt.: 69.72;
   at. no.: 31;
   sp. gr.: 5.91 at 20°C.

• Neo-Latin, equivalent. to Latin gall(us) cock (translation of French coq, from Lecoq de Boisbaudran, 19th-century French chemist) + Neo-Latin -ium -ium
• 1870–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

gallium / ˈɡælɪəm/ noun

1. a silvery metallic element that is liquid for a wide temperature range. It occurs in trace amounts in some ores and is used in high-temperature thermometers and low-melting alloys. Gallium arsenide is a semiconductor. Symbol: Ga; atomic no: 31; atomic wt: 69.723; valency: 2 or 3; relative density: 5.904; melting pt: 29.77°C; boiling pt: 2205°C

Etymology: 19th Century: from New Latin, from Latin gallus cock, translation of French coq in the name of its discoverer, Lecoq de Boisbaudran, 19th-century French chemist