Holmium is the eleventh member of the Lanthanide series, being located in the first row below the periodic table of elements. It is a silvery-white metal with a melting point of 1461 degrees Celsius. It was identified in 1878 Individually by Per Teodor Cleve, Jacques-Louis Soret and Marc Delafontaine.

Holmium can be used in lasers which are designed to vaporize tumors without damage to the surrounding tissue.