Definition of "boron" [bo•ron]

• A soft, brown, amorphous or crystalline nonmetallic element, extracted chiefly from kernite and borax and used in flares, propellant mixtures, nuclear reactor control elements, abrasives, and hard metallic alloys. Atomic number 5; atomic weight 10.811; melting point 2,300°C; sublimation point 2,550°C; specific gravity (crystal) 2.34; valence 3. See Table at element. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "My partner: Group 13 of the period table is called the boron group."
• "a radioactivity characterized by the emission of positive or negative electrons in boron and magnesium, by bombardment with alpha rays."
• "Meantime, St. Louis-based Senoret Chemical Co. is expanding its line of Terro brand ant - and bug-bait products using a mineral containing the element boron, which is generally considered low in toxicity to humans and animals."