metalloid

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See also: Metalloid

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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From metal +‎ -oid.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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metalloid (plural metalloids)

  1. (chemistry) An element, such as silicon or germanium, intermediate in properties between that of a metal and a nonmetal; especially an elemental semiconductor.
  2. (chemistry, obsolete) The metallic base of a fixed alkali, or alkaline earth; applied to sodium, potassium, and some other metallic substances whose metallic character was supposed to be not well defined.
    • 1836, Sir Humphry Davy, Memoirs:
      By some they [metals of the alkalies] were called metalloids; by some their simple nature was objected to
  3. (chemistry, obsolete) A nonmetal.

Translations

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Adjective

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metalloid (comparative more metalloid, superlative most metalloid)

  1. (not comparable) Of or relating to the metalloids.
  2. (informal) Characteristic of the metal music genre.
    • 1997, CMJ New Music Monthly, number 43, page 12:
      Graham Massey of 808 State turns a Björkian moan into a vibrating siren and powers his strangely metalloid version of "Army Of Me" with it; the Brodsky String Quartet turns "Hyperballad" into a stately 3-D chess game.
    • 2004, Gene Santoro, Highway 61 Revisited:
      It expanded from bleary delay rippling with looped phrases to embrace molten metalloid raunch and blues grit, acoustic guitars and pedal steels.