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The metallic element "cobalt" ultimately draws its name from folklore. In Middle High German, "kobolt" denoted a usually helpful household elf that engaged in nasty pranks only when it was offended. Later, early Modern German Kobold came to refer to a variety of less helpful goblins inhabiting fields and mountains. The variant "Kobolt" in the 16th century was applied by German miners to ores containing the metal cobalt, which they considered to be worthless; they believed that mountain goblins had spoiled adjacent silver ores, or had stolen the silver within the ore. The metal itself in relatively pure form was not produced and described until the 17th century, when "cobalt," with its first letter influenced by New Latin cobaltum, became part of the international language of science.
Examples of cobalt in a Sentence
Julia Simon, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
Tahari Asl Wide-leg Pants $109 at Nordstrom Available in classic black and white, which are always easy colors for mixing and matching, these stylish wide-leg pants are also available in bright, spring-perfect colors, like cobalt and raspberry.
—Robin Raven, Travel + Leisure, 23 Apr. 2025
The coastal waters are a tropical stew of pollutants—industrial wastes including arsenic, cobalt, manganese, nickel, selenium, zinc, and seven other trace metals.
—Stephen S. Hall, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
Nickel, chromium, arsenic and cobalt also exceeded safety thresholds in many regions, due to a mix of natural geological sources and human activities such as mining and industry, according to the study.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cobalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cobalt. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
from German Kobalt "cobalt," an altered form of Kobold, literally, "goblin"; so called because its appearance in silver ore was thought to have been the work of goblins who left it in place of silver which they stole
Medical Definition
cobalt
noun
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