Meanings
- uncountablewolframite
- dateduncountabletungsten
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- GermanWolfram
- Englishwolfram
Borrowed from German Wolfram, of obscure origin. Generally assumed to be derived from Wolf (“wolf”) + Rahm (“cream, soot”), a calque of Latin lupi spuma (“wolf's froth”), coined by Georg Agricola in the 16th century and a term of contempt due to its lesser value compared to tin and its degradation to the tin smelting process. Else, possibly derived from a personal name, where the second element is derived from *hrabn (“raven”).
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
wolfram. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wolfram
“wolfram.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wolfram. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wolfram,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wolfram.
Source: wolfram on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.