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palladium definition

pal·la·dium (pə lā′dē əm)

noun

a rare, silver-white, ductile, malleable chemical element, one of the platinum metals: it is used as a catalyst, esp. in hydrogenation processes, or in alloys with gold, silver, and other metals: symbol, Pd; at. no., 46

Etymology: ModL: so named (1803) by W. H. Wollaston (see wollastonite), after the recently discovered asteroid Pallas + -ium

Palladium definition

Pal·la·dium (pə lā′dē əm)

noun pl. Palladia -·dia (-ə)

  1. in ancient Greece and Rome, any statue of the Greek goddess Pallas Athena; specif., the legendary statue in Troy on the preservation of which the safety of the city was supposed to depend
  2. anything supposed to ensure the safety of something; safeguard

Etymology: L < Gr palladion, sacred statue or image, after Pallas

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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