Definition of "samarium" []

• A silvery or pale gray metallic rare-earth element found in monazite and bastnaesite and used as a dopant for laser materials, in infrared absorbing glass, and as a neutron absorber in certain nuclear reactors. Atomic number 62; atomic weight 150.36; melting point 1,072°C; boiling point 1,791°C; specific gravity (approximately) 7.50; valence 2, 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.

• "China controls up to 97% of world production of these elements — which include samarium, scandium and yttrium — and its export quotas for this year are nearly exhausted."
• "Fortunately a team from the University of Maryland has discovered a cleaner replacement for PZT, bismuth samarium ferrite (BSFO)."
• "It sold neodymium and samarium, which form the basis of extraordinarily powerful magnets needed for precision-guided missile systems and the batteries used in hybrid or electric vehicles."