tungsten

Alternative forms

• tungstenum

Etymology

From Swedish tungsten (“scheelite”), from tung (“heavy”) + sten (“stone”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtʌŋstən/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

tungsten (countable and uncountable, plural tungstens)

1. A metallic chemical element (symbol W) with an atomic number of 74. The symbol is derived from the Latin word wolframium.
   • 1990 April 7, Ivan Amato, “Getting a feel for atoms: 'magic wrist' takes scientists into a new sensory realm”, in Science News‎:

     So far they have built and used a prototype robot to make millionth-of-a-meter scratches in aluminum with a fine tungsten needle.

2. A light bulb containing tungsten.
   • 1909, E. A. Baily, “The Tungsten Lamp Situation in Various Cities”, in Electrical Age, volume XL, number 10, page 262:

     We have several business houses where tungstens are used as window lights only, and find that in nearly every one the wiring was arranged to get more light, leaving the consumption about the same.

3. (mineralogy, obsolete) scheelite, calcium tungstate
   • 1783, “[Review of] Outlines of Mineralogy”, in Monthly Review, volume LXX, number VII, page 47:

     We apprehend that this is not the acid of a calx ponderoſa, but rather a diſtinct acid conjoined to common calcareous earth, ſince, in fact, in another place, § 97, the tungſten is mentioned as a calx ſaturated with a peculiar acid, perhaps of a metallic nature, for which the author himſelf refers us to the above § 33, and ſeems to think it the ſame as the acid there mentioned.

See also

• ferberite
• huebnerite
• scheelite
• wolframite

References

• “tungsten” (US) / “tungsten” (UK) in Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press.

Alternative forms

• توڠستن‎

Etymology

From English tungsten, from Swedish tungsten (“scheelite”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tuŋstən]
• Rhymes: -stən, -ən

Noun

tungsten (Jawi spelling توڠستن)

1. tungsten (chemical element)