[a. Sw. tungsten, f. tung heavy + sten stone.]
† 1. Min. = SCHEELITE, native calcium tungstate. Obs.
1770. Engestrom, trans. Cronstedt’s Syst. Min., 201. Ferrum calciforme terrâ quâdam incognitâ intimè mixtum. The Tungsten of the Swedes.
1786. Beddoes, Chem. Ess. Scheele, 285. Lapis Ponderosus, or Tungsten…. It is probable that the constituent parts of this … have been hitherto unknown.
1799. Med. Jrnl., I. 239. Tungsten…. Scheele … affirmed that it consisted of calcareous earth, united to a peculiar acid.
1822. Imison, Sc. & Art, II. 120. A mineral called Tungsten or ponderous stone, affords a peculiar metal.
2. Chem. (Formerly also in L. form tungstenum, as in other names of metals.) A heavy, steel-grey, ductile, very infusible metal, contained in the above mineral and in WOLFRAM (iron and manganese tungstate) and other minerals; used for wire in incandescent electric lamps. Symbol W (= wolframium); atomic weight 184 (O = 16).
1796. Hatchett, in Phil. Trans., LXXXVI. 291. The yellow oxyde of tungsten by ignition becomes blue or black.
1812. Davy, Chem. Philos., 427. Tungstenum is obtained from a mineral known by the name of wolfram.
1836–41. Brande, Man. Chem. (ed. 5), 921. Tungsten … which has also been called Scheelium and Wolframium, was first obtained by Messrs. de Luyart [in 1783], from the tungstic acid previously discovered by Scheele, in 1781.
1862. London Rev., 16 Aug., 154. Tungsten added to steel communicates a most intense hardness to it, and renders it also very fine-grained.
1911. Daily News, 22 Aug., 2. Tungsten may be converted into strong ductile form and drawn into a wire only one thousandth of an inch in diameter.
1912. Ann. Rep. Chem. Soc., IX. 69. Tungsten melts at 3100°±60°.
3. attrib., as tungsten lamp, -steel, wire.
1862. London Rev., 16 Aug., 154. The alloy … is now becoming rather celebrated under the name of wolfram- or tungsten-steel.
1909. Installation News, II. 171/2. The Tungsten lamp will not withstand over running to any great extent.
1911. Encycl. Brit., XVI. 669/2. The zirconium and tungsten wire lamps are equal to or surpass the tantalum lamp.
Hence † Tungstenane, Davy’s proposed name for a chloride of tungsten: see -ANE2; Tungstenic, † Tungstenical, Tungstenitic, adjs., of, pertaining to, or containing tungsten, tungstic; Tungsteniferous a. [-FEROUS] yielding tungsten.
1812. Davy, Chem. Philos., 429. *Tungstenane.
1796. Kirwan, Elem. Min. (ed. 2), I. 131. The *tungstenic acid … assumes a blue colour when heated to redness. Ibid., 133. An ore of *tungstenical substance. Ibid., II. 316. *Tungstenitic Calx, with Iron and Manganese, or Iron singly. Wolfram.
