Cobalts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. a metallic element with atomic number 27, essential in various industrial applications
2. A hard, silvery-blue metal that is often used in the production of batteries and alloys; it plays a vital role in creating pigments for dyes and paints; known for its magnetic properties and importance in certain chemical processes
3. A transition metal recognized for its distinct bluish hue, utilized in creating ceramics and as an essential component in rechargeable batteries; it enhances the durability of metals through alloying; also has various applications in the medical field

Etymology: The word "cobalts" is simply the plural of cobalt, the blue metallic element, so its story is the story of cobalt. That story begins in the silver mines of the Harz Mountains in Germany, where miners blamed a troublesome rock on a goblin. Kobold, the German word for goblin, was also used by miners for rock laced with arsenic and sulfur. This ore poisoned the miners and ruined the silver they were after, so they treated it as the work of a mischievous spirit. The metal was named for that mischief. German chemists later isolated a new element from such ore, and it took the name Kobalt, a form of the same word for goblin, now a doublet of kobold. Its blue colour, prized in glassmaking and pigments, came later as a happy byproduct of a name coined from a miner's grudge.