platinum

Etymology

From Spanish platina (“little silver”) del Pinto ("of the Pinto") +‎ -um. It was called "little" (or "lesser") silver because the metal was found as an impurity in gold, and del Pinto for the Pinto River in Grand Columbia where Europeans discovered it being mined by Native Americans.

Pronunciation

• enPR: plăt'ĭn-əm, IPA^(key): /ˈplæt.ɪn.əm/; enPR: plăt'nəm, IPA^(key): /ˈplæt.nəm/; enPR: plăt'n-əm, IPA^(key): /ˈplæt.n̩.əm/
• (obsolete, nonstandard) IPA^(key): /pləˈtaɪn.əm/, /pləˈtiːn.əm/, /pləˈtɪn.əm/^[1]

• Audio (UK):

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• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ætɪnəm, -ætnəm, -ætn̩əm

Noun

platinum (countable and uncountable, plural platinums)

2. The chemical element with atomic number 78 and symbol Pt; a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, silverish-white transition metal of great value.
4. A whitish grey colour, like that of the metal.

   platinum:  

6. (music, countable) A single or album that has achieved platinum sales, i.e. over 1 million or 2 million.
8. (medicine, countable, sometimes, elliptically) A platinum-based drug: a platin.

Adjective

platinum (not comparable)

1. Of a whitish grey colour, like that of the metal.
2. Of a musical recording that has sold over one million copies (for singles), or two million (for albums).
3. Very expensive, or of very high quality

   We can offer the platinum service for fifty dollars extra.

Verb

platinum (third-person singular simple present platinums, present participle platinuming, simple past and past participle platinumed)

1. (computer games) To attain all of the achievements in a game, on certain PlayStation consoles.

   I platinumed in Clash of Clans yesterday.

See also

• cooperite
• sperrylite
• Appendix:Colors

References

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2025) “Platinum”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “platinum”, in Mindat.org‎, Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2025.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

platinum (attributive platinum, not comparable)

1. platinum; made from platinum

Noun

platinum (uncountable)

1. platinum

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /plaˈtiː.num/, [pɫ̪äˈt̪iːnʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /plaˈti.num/, [pläˈt̪iːnum]

Noun

platīnum n (genitive platīnī); second declension

1. platinum

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈplaː˨ti˧nɔ˧m]

Noun

platinum m

1. (uncountable) platinum
2. A part of platinum

Alternative forms

• pelatinam

Etymology

From English platinum, from Spanish platina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [platinom], [platinəm], [plɛtinəm]
• Rhymes: -inom, -nom, -om

Noun

platinum

1. platinum