noun · 2 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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găl'ēəm
/ˈɡæliəm/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -æliəm
CMU ARPABET:G AE1 L IY0 AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A chemical element (symbol Ga) with an atomic number of 31; a soft bluish metal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: eka-aluminium
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element; brittle at low temperatures but liquid above room temperature; occurs in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Ga, atomic number 31
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: metallic element, metal
History
Etymology
Named by its discoverer Lecoq, after Latin Gallia (“Gaul”). It was claimed that Lecoq had named the element after himself, since gallus is the Latin translation of the French le coq, but Lecoq denied this in an article of 1877.
Across languages
Translations
76 source translations are retained for this English entry.
