When writing content, is it good to reference wikipedia for some definitions?

[onwardsandupwards]

Example...we write a unique article about the materials used in our products, giving a more in depth insight into the types of metals and minerals used in the products. Such articles are aimed at a small number of customers that ask more detailed questions about some of our material.  In explaining some of these materials, we reference, and credit for, classifications  used from the definitions given in wikipedia.  The rest of article is ours and unique.  Is getting these links from an authority such as wikipedia a good idea?

Thank you.

[johnny122]

Brian Dean wrote: "Outbound Link Quality: Many SEOs think that linking out to authority sites helps send trust signals to Google."

In another article, he explained that he generally links to 4 authority sites in his articles.

[Andy.Drinkwater]

Google rely on links, even no-followed ones, so any link that is given will pass along some information. Google have also said that if you link out to a site as a reference point, then this can be beneficial to you. I have seen pages in the SERPs jump as much as 3-4 places, just after the addition of an external link to a reputable / source.

-Andy