Manganese

//ˈmæŋ.ɡəˌniz// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A metallic chemical element (symbol Mn) with an atomic number of 25, not a free element in nature but often found in minerals in combination with iron, and useful in industrial alloy production. uncountable

    "Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom."

  2. 2
    a hard brittle grey polyvalent metallic element that resembles iron but is not magnetic; used in making steel; occurs in many minerals wordnet
  3. 3
    A single atom of this element. countable

Synonyms

All synonyms
atomic number 25goldironleadmetalmn

Example

More examples

"Butternut squash is a good source of manganese, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and E."

Etymology

From French manganèse, from Italian manganese, by alteration from Latin magnesia (“magnesia”), from Ancient Greek μαγνησία (magnēsía), after Μαγνησία (Magnēsía, “Magnesia”). Doublet of Magnesia, magnesia, and magnesium; more at magnet.

Related phrases

black manganesecopper-manganesecorneous manganesedvi-manganeseeka-manganesegrey manganesehorn manganeseiron-manganese tungstatemanganese alummanganese binoxidemanganese blackmanganese blende

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.