helium
pronunciation
How to pronounce helium in British English:
UK [ˈhiːliəm]
How to pronounce helium in American English:
US [ˈhiːliəm]
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- Noun:
- a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas)
Word Origin
- helium (n.)
- 1868, coined from Greek helios "sun" (see sol), because the element was detected in the solar spectrum during the eclipse of Aug. 18, 1868, by English astronomer Sir Joseph N. Lockyer (1836-1920) and English chemist Sir Edward Frankland (1825-1899). It was not actually obtained until 1895; it was assumed before that to be an alkali metal, hence the ending in -ium.
Example
- 1. Previous observations had traced only incoming helium atoms .
- 2. Single-ion helium occurs when one electron is lost .
- 3. Stars like our sun fuse hydrogen in their cores into helium .
- 4. Note that hydrogen and helium are the major constituents of jupiter 's atmosphere .
- 5. A crane carrying the capsule follows the helium balloon during the launch on sunday .