Aluminium
/ˌæljuˈmɪniəm/
nounBeginner📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
A chemical element, a silvery-white, lightweight metal, that is highly malleable and ductile.
/ˌæljuˈmɪniəm/
nounneutralBeginner
General
A lightweight, silvery-white metal.
Aluminium is a good conductor of electricity.
💡 Simply: A light, shiny metal used in many things.
More Examples
2
This pot is made of aluminium.
How It's Used
Engineering
"The airplane's fuselage is made of aluminium alloys."
Packaging
"Many beverage cans are made from aluminium."
From French *aluminium*, from *alumin(ium)*, from *alumine* "alumina", ultimately from Latin *alumen* "alum".
Aluminium's use became widespread in the 20th century due to advancements in extraction techniques.
Memory tip
Think 'al' (like 'all') for its widespread use and 'uminum' for its metallic nature.
Word Origin
LanguageLatin
Original meaning
"alum"
Base: aluminium
aluminium foilaluminium alloyaluminium can
Common misspellings
aluminumaluminimum
Practice
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written