1. an archaic or alternative term for platinum, a precious silvery-white metallic element
Usage: archaic; historical

Examples

• The Spanish conquistadors called the metal platina, meaning ‘little silver.’
• Early chemists struggled to work with platina due to its high melting point.
• The term platina was commonly used in 18th-century scientific texts.
• Platina was initially considered an inferior metal compared to gold and silver.
• Modern chemistry textbooks rarely use the term platina, preferring platinum instead.