a ductile malleable silvery-white ferromagnetic element of the lanthanide series of metals: occurs principally in monazite and bastnaesite. Symbol: Gd; atomic no: 64; atomic wt: 157.25; valency: 3; relative density: 7.901; melting pt: 1313±°C; boiling pt: 3273°C (approx.)
Derived forms
gadolinic (ˌgadoˈlinic)
adjective
Word origin
C19: New Latin, from gadolinite
gadolinium in American English
(ˌgædoʊˈlɪniəm)
noun
a chemical element, one of the rare-earth elements, that is highly magnetic at low temperatures, superconductive, and has the highest rate of neutron absorption of any element: symbol, Gd; at. no., 64
Word origin
ModL, earlier gadolinia: so named (1886) by P. E. L. de Boisbaudran (1838-1912), Fr chemist, and J.-C. G.de Marignac (1817-94), Swiss chemist, who had each isolated it, in honor of J. Gadolin (see gadolinite) + -ium