from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
norium \no"ri*um\, n. [NL.] (Chem.)
A supposed metal alleged to have been discovered in 1845 by
the Swedish chemist Swanberg in zircon. After many
unsuccessful attempts to verify this new element, the element
named {Hafnium} (atomic number 72) was discoverd in 1923 by
D. Coster and G. von Hevesey in the zirconium-containing
mineral zircon. Hafnium, present at 1 to 5% in many
zirconium-bearing minerals, but difficult to separate from
zirconium, is probably the element that gave rise to the
properties attributed to the hypothetical norium.
[1913 Webster +PJC]