platinum

The word “platinum” means a dense, precious, silvery-white metal element (symbol Pt) valued for its resistance to corrosion. In plain terms, a valuable silvery metal; also used for top-tier sales awards in music, and a very pale blonde colour.

“Platinum” is pronounced PLAT-ihn-uhm (/ˈplæt.ɪn.əm/ in IPA).

Here is “platinum” used in a sentence: “Her wedding ring is made of platinum.”

Words with a similar meaning to “platinum” include platina and white gold.

Depending on how it is used, “platinum” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “platinum” comes from Latin. From Spanish platina, "little silver," because the metal was originally found as an unwanted impurity in gold and seemed like an inferior form of silver.

“Platinum” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Platinum” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a dense, precious, silvery-white metal element (symbol Pt) valued for its resistance to corrosion.

Platinum is a naturally silvery-white precious metal element (symbol Pt) valued for its resistance to corrosion. White gold is not an element but an alloy of gold mixed with paler metals to give a similar colour. They look alike, but only platinum is silvery-white all the way through.

Platinum blonde is a very pale, silvery-white shade of blond hair, named after the pale silvery-grey-white colour of the metal. As an adjective, platinum can describe anything of that near-white, silvery shade.

Platinum is a dense, silvery-white metal prized for its strong resistance to corrosion, which means it keeps its finish rather than tarnishing. That durability, together with its rarity, places it among the precious metals alongside gold and silver.