lithium

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the chemical element with symbol Li and atomic number 3, a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive alkali metal and the lightest metal

   Lithium metal reacts vigorously with water and therefore does not occur uncombined in nature.

2. 2
   noun

   a lithium salt used medically as a mood stabilizer, especially in the treatment of bipolar disorder

   The psychiatrist prescribed lithium as a mood stabilizer and monitored the patient's blood levels.

Named in 1817 from New Latin lithia ("lithium oxide") + -ium; lithia was formed from Greek lithos ("stone"). Johan August Arfwedson identified the element in the mineral petalite, and the name emphasized its mineral source, unlike sodium and potassium, which had first been obtained from plant ashes.

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