Question 1 · Quick check
helium
CEFRB2
/ˈhiː.li.əm/
noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
noun
A very light gas used in balloons and some machines.
- 02
noun
Extra detailA form or sample of the element.
Examples
Helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon are noble gases.
Jupiter is a planet principally composed of hydrogen and helium.
At a glance
Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 3
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 1
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningThe second-lightest chemical element (symbol He), with an atomic number of 2 and atomic weight of 4.002602, a colorless, odorless and inert noble gas.
More examples
In contextIt was an enormous balloon filled with helium, that elemental gas forged from hydrogen in the nuclear furnace of the stars.
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
noun
From New Latin helium, from Ancient Greek ἥλιος (hḗlios, “sun”) (because its presence was first theorised in the Sun's atmosphere) with the suffix + -ium. Probably coined by Norman Lockyer. This suffix is unusual, because it is usually used only for metallic elements. It is likely that Lockyer, being an astronomer, was unaware of the usual chemical conventions.