noun
- a brittle, grayish-white metallic chemical element used in semiconductors and electronic devices
Usage: chemistry; materials science
Examples
- Germanium is a semiconductor material commonly used in transistors.
- The periodic table shows germanium with the atomic number 32.
- Early computer chips relied on germanium before silicon became dominant.
- Germanium's properties make it useful in infrared optics.
- Scientists discovered germanium in 1886 and named it after Germany.