thorium Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a soft silvery-white tetravalent radioactive metallic element; isotope 232 is used as a power source in nuclear reactors; occurs in thorite and in monazite sands
    atomic number 90; Th.

WordNet

Tho"ri*um noun
Etymology
NL. See Thorite.
Definitions
  1. (Chem.) A metallic element found in certain rare minerals, as thorite, pyrochlore, monazite, etc., and isolated as an infusible gray metallic powder which burns in the air and forms thoria; -- formerly called also thorinum. Symbol Th. Atomic weight 232.0.

Webster 1913