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Elements with names from Latin

Latin gave us many of the oldest element names: aurum, argentum, plumbum and ferrum still survive as the chemical symbols Au, Ag, Pb and Fe. Latin also produced 18th and 19th-century coinings like radium (from radius, ray), silicon (from silex, flint) and selenium (from selene, the Moon).

Back to name origins

Name source

Mineral Astronomical body Mythology Person Place Properties

Language of origin

Greek Latin Russian English German Swedish Japanese Anglo-Saxon Spanish Norse Arabic
No. Symbol Element Original word Meaning Name source Named by
6 C Carbon carbo Charcoal Properties
9 F Fluorine fluere To flow Properties Humphry Davy, André-Marie Ampère
13 Al Aluminium alumen Bitter salt Properties Humphry Davy (1812)
14 Si Silicon silex Flint Mineral Thomas Thomson (1817)
16 S Sulfur sulpur Brimstone Properties
20 Ca Calcium calx Lime Mineral
21 Sc Scandium Scandia Scandinavia Place
25 Mn Manganese magnes Magnet Properties
29 Cu Copper cuprum From Cyprus Place
31 Ga Gallium Gallia France / Gaul Place
32 Ge Germanium Germania Germany Place
37 Rb Rubidium rubidus Dark red Properties
44 Ru Ruthenium Ruthenia Russia Place
48 Cd Cadmium cadmia Calamine Mineral Friedrich Stromeyer (1817)
49 In Indium indicum Indigo Properties
52 Te Tellurium tellus Earth Astronomical body Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1798)
55 Cs Cesium caesius Sky blue Properties
58 Ce Cerium Ceres Ceres (dwarf planet) Astronomical body Jöns Jacob Berzelius
67 Ho Holmium Holmia Holmia (Stockholm) Place Per Teodor Cleve (1879)
71 Lu Lutetium Lutetia Paris (Lutetia) Place Georges Urbain (1907)
72 Hf Hafnium Hafnia Copenhagen (Hafnia) Place
75 Re Rhenium Rhenus Rhine river Place
80 Hg Mercury Mercurius Mercury (planet) Astronomical body
84 Po Polonium Polonia Poland Place Pierre Curie, Marie Curie
86 Rn Radon radius From radium Properties
87 Fr Francium Francia France Place
88 Ra Radium radius Ray Properties
92 U Uranium Uranus Uranus (planet) Astronomical body
93 Np Neptunium Neptunus Neptune (planet) Astronomical body
94 Pu Plutonium Pluto Pluto (planet) Astronomical body
108 Hs Hassium Hassia Hesse (state) Place GSI