Metalloid

Metalloid

Noun / Adjective · /ˈmɛt.ə.lɔɪd/

Definition

(Noun) an element that has properties intermediate between those of metals and non-metals (semiconductors); the metalloids include boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, and sometimes polonium; (Adjective) resembling or having the properties of a metal.

Origin

From metal (from Latin metallum, from Greek metallon, mine or metal) + -oid (from Greek -oeides, resembling, having the form of, from eidos, form or appearance). The same -oid suffix gives humanoid (human-like), android (man-like), and asteroid (star-like). The metalloids occupy the staircase diagonal on the periodic table between clearly metallic and clearly non-metallic elements. Silicon, the most economically important metalloid, is the basis of semiconductor technology.