Meaning

(chemistry) Any of the 15 rare earth elements from lanthanum to lutetium in the periodic table; because their outermost orbitals are not filled, they have very similar chemistry; below them are the actinides..

Definitions by Sense

1. (chemistry) Any of the 15 rare earth elements from lanthanum to lutetium in the periodic table; because their outermost orbitals are not filled, they have very similar chemistry; below them are the actinides.
2. (chemistry) Any of the 14 rare earth elements from lanthanum to ytterbium (lutetium is excluded by some authors as it is a d-block rather than an f-block element).
3. (chemistry, dated) Any of the 14 rare earth elements from cerium to lutetium (lanthanum having been excluded because it was thought to be a d-block element in the past).

Word Forms

• lanthanides

Synonyms for lanthanide

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When Should You Use Lanthanide?

Use lanthanide when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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