cobalt
UK[ˈkəʊbɔːlt]US[ˈkoʊbɔːlt]
n
a hard, silver-white, magnetic metallic element used especially in alloys and to give a blue color to glass and ceramics.
n
a strong greenish-blue color.
Etymology
the word 'cobalt' has a fascinating origin rooted in german folklore. it comes from the german miners' term 'kobalt', a variant of 'kobold', which referred to a mischievous underground goblin believed to inhabit the mines. miners applied this name to the mineral (cobalt ore) because it was troublesome to process, yielded no valuable metal like silver, and released toxic arsenic fumes when smelted, which they superstitiously blamed on the kobold. the name was later adopted into scientific latin as 'cobaltum' in the 16th century and entered english in the 17th century, retaining the name of the mythical creature for the element once it was isolated.
Analysis
the word is a loanword from german 'kobalt', which itself is derived from 'kobold', the name of a germanic goblin or underground spirit. it is not productively segmented into smaller morphemes in english.
Examples
the artist used cobalt blue to paint the vibrant sky.
cobalt is an essential component in the lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
the miners in the middle ages dreaded encountering cobalt ore in the silver mines.