Tellurium

a chemical element. It has been known since 1782. It occurs in ores of silver, gold, lead, and bismuth. Pure tellurium is a brittle, silvery white metal. It is somewhat more than half as heavy as silver. Chemically it has many of the properties of sulphur, even to the disagreeable odors in combination. The element was discovered originally in Austria, but it abounds in Colorado and other mining regions.