/ naɪˈəʊbiəm; NAmE -ˈoʊ-/ noun
[ U ] ( symb Nb ) a chemical element. Niobium is a silver-grey metal used in steel alloys .
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: modern Latin , from Niobe, the queen of Thebes in Greek mythology, and by association with her father Tantalus (so named because the element was first found in the rare mineral tantalite ).