chemical symbol

noun

The 1- to 3-letter international code for a chemical element. It is the same in all languages. Thus, gold always has the chemical symbol "Au", regardless of what people call it in their language.

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Meanings

nounchemical symbol (plural chemical symbols)

plural chemical symbols

  1. The 1- to 3-letter international code for a chemical element. It is the same in all languages. Thus, gold always has the chemical symbol "Au", regardless of what people call it in their language.
  2. broadlya similar symbol used to denote a different chemical entity, such as an isotope (e.g. D = deuterium, though "²H" is more correct), a radical (e.g. Ph [or Φ] = phenyl), an unknown (e.g. M = a metal, or X = a halogen), etc.

Translations

German Elementsymbol
  • ElementsymbolTranslations
Hungarian vegyjel
  • vegyjelTranslations
Italian simbolo chimico
  • simbolo chimicoTranslations
Romanian simbol chimic
  • simbol chimicTranslations
Tagalog kapnayaning halat
  • kapnayaning halatTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

chemical symbol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemical%20symbol

MLA

“chemical symbol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemical%20symbol. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chemical symbol,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemical%20symbol.

Source: chemical symbol on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.