potassium
A soft, silvery-white alkali metal with atomic number 19 that is highly reactive.
[U] Uncountable
This term carries a clinical and scientific weight, evoking images of laboratory beakers, periodic tables, and medical charts. In a medical context, it is often discussed in terms of electrolyte balance and heart function, where a deficiency or excess can be life-threatening.
In a nutritional context, the word shifts from a dangerous metal to a vital nutrient. It is associated with health-conscious diets and specific foods like bananas and spinach, moving the feeling of the word from a hazardous chemical to a biological necessity.
Used as a mass noun for both the chemical element in a lab and the nutrient found in food.
Meanings
Examples
The scientist added a small piece of potassium to the solution.
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Related Words
elementalkalimetalperiodic tablechemistryelectrolyteioncationsodiumrubidiumcesiumfranciumlithiumvalenceelectronorbitalisotopeatomic numberatomic massreactivityoxidationreductionsaltchloridebromideiodidefluoridehydroxidedichromatemineralnutrientbananapotatospinachbloodplasmacellmembranepumpgradientosmosisheartbeatmusclenervesynapseaction potentialhyperkalemiahypokalemiahomeostasismetabolismenzymecatalystsolutionsolventsoluteprecipitationaqueouslilacpurplesoftnessmalleabilityductilityconductivitycorrosionoxidation stateperiodgroupmetalloidhalogennoble gastransition metalalkaline earth metal