germanium

IPA/dʒɜːˈmeɪniəm/
IPA/dʒɜːrˈmeɪniəm/

germanium — noun

1. a hard, grey-white chemical element (symbol Ge) that has properties of both a me

1.名詞B2
釋義

a hard, grey-white chemical element (symbol Ge) that has properties of both a metal and a non-metal, making it useful in electronic devices such as transistors, infrared lenses, and solar panels

例句

The first transistor, made in 1947, used a thin slice of germanium.

germanium + transistor — historical significance

Engineers mix germanium with other elements to create special electronic materials.

同義詞
  • Ge

    the chemical symbol for germanium, used in formulas and scientific notation

  • metalloid

    a broader category of elements that germanium belongs to, not an exact synonym

用法筆記

Frequently used as a modifier before nouns such as 'wafer', 'crystal', 'detector', 'lens', and 'diode'. As a chemical element, it is treated as an uncountable noun in most contexts (e.g., 'Germanium is mined in small quantities').

常見錯誤

❌Germanium is the most common element in computer chips.
✅Silicon is the most common element in computer chips; germanium was used in early transistors.
💡Germanium and silicon have similar properties and are often confused, but silicon is far more common in modern electronics.