noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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kăd'mēəm
/ˈkædmiəm/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AE1 D M IY0 AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A chemical element (symbol Cd) with an atomic number of 48: a soft, silvery-white metal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A single atom of this element.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a soft bluish-white ductile malleable toxic bivalent metallic element; occurs in association with zinc ores
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Cd, atomic number 48
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: metallic element, metal
History
Etymology
1817, from Ancient Greek Καδμεία (Kadmeía, “calamine”), a cadmium-bearing mixture of minerals, which was named after the king Κάδμος (Kádmos, “Cadmus”).
Across languages
Translations
79 source translations are retained for this English entry.
