Definition of "ium" [ium]

• A termination of many English nouns and adjectives from the Latin and Greek. (noun)
• In chem., this suffix occurs especiallyin the names of the larger number of the metallic elements. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "The IBM device explores the avalanche effect in Germanium, a material currently used in production of microprocessor chips."
• "Again, years later a European scientific group changed the name to aluminium -- to line up with the "ium" group of metals, calcium, barium, strontium and so forth, but on this continent that change was never recognized."
• "As far as I can tell they pick some scientist from the past or use the location where something was discovered and then attach "ium" to it."