Noun: germanium ,jur'mey-nee-um
- A brittle grey crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors; occurs in germanite and argyrodite
"Germanium was once widely used in transistors before being largely replaced by silicon";
- Ge, atomic number 32
Derived forms: germaniums
Type of: semiconducting material, semiconductor
Part of: argyrodite, germanite
Encyclopedia: Germanium