A metallic element, atomic no. 40, atomic wt. 91.224; widely distributed in nature, but never found in quantity in any one place. [zircon, a mineral, fr. Ar. zarkun, cinnabar, Pers, zargun, goldlike]
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zir·co·ni·um (.)zər-'kō-nē-əm n a steel-gray strong ductile chiefly tetravalent metallic element with a high melting point symbol Zr see ELEMENT (table)
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zir·co·ni·um (Zr) (zir-koґne-əm) a rather rare metallic element; atomic number, 40; atomic weight, 91.22; chiefly obtained from a mineral called zircon.Medical dictionary. 2011.