rare earth

/rɛər ərθ/

Other forms: rare earths

Rare earths are metallic elements that are found in the earth's crust and used in making cell phones, computers, electric vehicles, and many other modern products.

Rare earths—or rare-earth elements—aren't actually all that rare; they are found all over the world. The rare in the name comes from the fact that these silvery-white metals are dispersed in very small amounts among other minerals, and it's complicated and expensive to separate them. The production of many goods, from televisions to lasers, depends on rare earths, so mining them is big business.

Definitions of rare earth

1. noun

   any element of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71)
   synonyms: lanthanide, lanthanoid, lanthanon, rare-earth element

   types:

   terbium metal

   a separate group of related lanthanides, including terbium, europium, gadolinium, and sometimes dysprosium

   type of:

   group, grouping

   any number of entities (members) considered as a unit