BORON Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com (original) (raw)

[bawr-on, bohr-] / ˈbɔr ɒn, ˈboʊr- /

  1. a nonmetallic element occurring naturally only in combination, as in borax or boric acid, and obtained in either an amorphous or a crystalline form when reduced from its compounds. B; 10.811; 5.

boron British

/ ˈbɔːrɒn /

noun

  1. a very hard almost colourless crystalline metalloid element that in impure form exists as a brown amorphous powder. It occurs principally in borax and is used in hardening steel. The naturally occurring isotope boron-10 is used in nuclear control rods and neutron detection instruments. Symbol: B; atomic no: 5; atomic wt: 10.81; valency: 3; relative density: 2.34 (crystalline), 2.37 (amorphous); melting pt: 2092°C; boiling pt: 4002°C

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

boron Scientific

/ bôr′ŏn′ /

  1. A shiny, brittle, black metalloid element extracted chiefly from borax. It is a good electrical conductor at high temperatures and a poor conductor at low temperatures. Boron is necessary for the growth of land plants and is used in the preparation of soaps, abrasives, and hard alloys. It is also used in the control rods of nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber. Atomic number 5; atomic weight 10.811; melting point 2,300°C; sublimation point 2,550°C; specific gravity (crystal) 2.34; valence 3.
  2. See Periodic Table

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of boron

1805–15; bor(ax 1 ) + (carb)on

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the future it will fuse hydrogen and boron to create clean energy.

FromThe Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

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Yet, once he and Grace work out their kinks and get to know each other, the Eridian reveals his own goofy personality — imagine a hybrid of boron and Borat.

FromLos Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

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The ECA’s report highlights that China supplies 96% of the EU’s magnesium, which is used to make hydrogen-generating electrolyzers, while Turkey provides 99% of boron used in solar panels.

FromThe Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

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For example, China supplies 97 percent of the EU's magnesium, used in hydrogen-generating electrolysers while Turkey provides 99 percent of the bloc's boron, used in solar panels.

FromBarron's • Feb. 2, 2026

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The result of their bombardments of boron and other light elements by alpha rays, moreover, had led them to propose that the proton was composed of a neutron and a positive electron, or positron.

From"Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.