wolfram
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wolf·ram
(wo͝ol′frəm)n.
See tungsten.
[German Wolfram, wolframite, tungsten, from earlier, a mineral (possibly wolframite) with a sooty appearance that when present in tin ore made the extraction of tin more difficult : Wolf, wolf (because the mineral seemed to eat up tin as a wolf eats a sheep) (from Middle High German, from Old High German; see wl̥kwo- in Indo-European roots) + -ram (from Middle High German rām, soot).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
wolfram
(ˈwʊlfrəm)n
(Elements & Compounds) another name for tungsten
[C18: from German, originally perhaps from the proper name, Wolfram, used pejoratively of tungsten because it was thought inferior to tin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tung•sten
(ˈtʌŋ stən)n.
a rare, bright gray, lustrous metallic element having a high melting point, 3410°C: used in electric-lamp filaments. Symbol: W; at. wt.: 183.85; at. no.: 74; sp. gr.: 19.3.
Also called wolfram. [1760–70; < Swedish, =tung heavy + sten stone]
tung•sten′ic (-ˈstɛn ɪk) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
wolf·ram
(wo͝ol′frəm) See tungsten.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  wolfram - a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelitemetal, metallic element - any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc. scheelite - a mineral used as an ore of tungsten iron manganese tungsten, wolframite - a mineral consisting of iron and manganese tungstate in crystalline form; the principal ore of tungsten; found in quartz veins associated with granitic rocks |
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