Chromium is a hard, blue-white metal. It is a chemical element; its symbol is Cr. People use it to cover other metal objects with a shiny silver skin that protects them — that skin is what everyday English often calls chrome. On its own it is a workshop and science metal, not jewellery. Its compounds come in strong colours; that is why it was named from a word for colour. You meet it in chemistry class, and in names like chromium steel. Stainless steel stays bright partly because it has chromium in it, so it does not rust easily. Chrome in casual talk is usually the shiny coat; chromium is the element itself.