A lustrous, greyish-white metallic chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40, highly resistant to corrosion and used in nuclear reactors and jewelry.
Derived from the mineral zircon, which comes from Persian 'zargun' meaning 'gold-colored' (zar 'gold' + gun 'color'). The element was first isolated by Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1824. The name entered English through French and German scientific terminology in the early 19th century.
Despite coming from a Persian word meaning 'gold-colored,' zirconium metal is actually silver-white - the original name referred to the golden variety of zircon gemstones! The confusion arose because early chemists didn't realize the colorless zircon crystals contained the same element as the golden ones.
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