What does lithium mean?
Lithium is a chemical element whose name comes from the Greek word lithos, meaning “stone.” As an element, it is a light, silvery alkali metal designated Li and numbered 3 in the periodic table. Its ability to store and release energy has made lithium-ion batteries familiar in phones, laptops, electric vehicles, and many other modern devices. In informal usage, especially in North America, “lithium” may simply mean such a battery. Lithium also has an important medical use: certain lithium salts, notably lithium carbonate, are used to stabilize mood in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The word therefore connects a fundamental substance in chemistry with two prominent features of contemporary life, portable energy and psychiatric treatment. Although the element is highly reactive and is not normally encountered in its pure metallic form, its compounds and batteries are widely encountered in everyday life.
nounLithium is the chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3, a soft, silvery alkali metal. The word can also refer to a lithium-ion battery or, in medicine, to lithium salts used as mood stabilizers.
- The chemical element Li, a light, silvery alkali metal.
- Informally, a lithium-ion battery or a device containing one.
- A lithium-containing medicine, especially a lithium salt used in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
"The camera uses a lithium-ion battery, while the medication prescribed for her condition is a form of lithium."
"Lithium is used in rechargeable batteries because it can efficiently store and release energy."
"Her doctor prescribed lithium to help stabilize her mood."
A plural is generally used for individual batteries or devices in the informal battery sense; the chemical element itself is normally a mass noun.
"The technicians installed several lithiums in the camera equipment."
Lithium's name comes from the Greek word for “stone,” a fitting clue to its origins in minerals.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lithium come from?
Lithium entered English through New Latin, based on the Greek lithos, meaning “stone.” The name reflects the substance’s occurrence in minerals and was adopted in the early nineteenth century, soon after lithium was recognized as a distinct element. Its name also links it cognately with words such as lithic, lithography, lithosphere, and megalith, all of which derive from the same Greek root.
How lithium is actually used
In technical writing, “lithium” usually names the chemical element. In informal North American usage, it can mean a lithium-ion battery. In medical contexts, it generally refers to lithium salts, particularly lithium carbonate. The element is normally treated as a mass noun and does not take a regular plural.