Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A metallic ore from which is extracted the elements niobium and tantalum

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a valuable black mineral combining niobite and tantalite; used in cell phones and computer chips

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The massive demand for coltan is credited with fueling the Second Congo War of 1998-2002.

    Archive 2008-01-01 jen 2008

  • The massive demand for coltan is credited with fueling the

    why you so obsessed with the congo, jen? jen 2008

  • The massive demand for coltan is credited with fueling the Second Congo War of 1998-2002.

    Pay Attention jen 2008

  • The Congo has almost unparalleled mineral riches, including gold, uranium, the world's biggest industrial diamond deposits, and 80 percent of world reserves in a mineral called coltan, which is crucial to the manufacture of mobile telephones.

    Diamond in the Rough 2007

  • There is gold, copper, diamonds, uranium and tantalum, known as coltan, which is used in electronic devices such as cellphones and computers.

    APA 2010

  • The mineral in question is known as coltan, which is actually African slang for ore that contains tantalum, a metal prized for electronics use because of its resistance to corrosion and heat.

    BusinessWeek.com -- 2008

  • The lure of profit from gold and diamonds, as well as from minerals such as coltan, which is used to make mobile phones, have turned eastern Congo into a battlefield.

    The Guardian World News 2010

  • The lure of profit from gold and diamonds, as well as from minerals such as coltan, which is used to make mobile phones, have turned eastern Congo into a battlefield.

    The Guardian World News 2010

  • Mobile phones contain a mineral called coltan which is used in the electrical capacitors.

    ReadABlog.com New Blogs and RSS Feeds 2009

  • The most valuable loot is coltan, which is used to make the metal in our mobile phones and games consoles and laptops.

    Johann Hari: We Are Not Being Told The Truth About Libya Johann Hari 2011

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