atom

Where does the word "atom" come from? It comes from Greek atomos, passing through Latin and French before entering English (medieval).

Atom’s story begins in Greek: atomos meant “indivisible, uncuttable.” Literally "indivisible", proposed by early philosophers as matter's smallest unit. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as atomus. Lucretius spread the atomism of Democritus and Epicurus in his poem 'De Rerum Natura'. From there it passed into French as atome by medieval. Carried the philosophical term into French. It reached English by medieval as atom. Settled as the English scientific term. Today, atom means the smallest unit of a chemical element that retains its properties.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient atomos "indivisible, uncuttable", literally "indivisible", proposed by early philosophers as matter's smallest unit.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient atomus "an indivisible particle", Lucretius spread the atomism of Democritus and Epicurus in his poem 'De Rerum Natura'.
3. Stage 3 · French · medieval atome "an indivisible particle", carried the philosophical term into French.
4. Stage 4 · English · medieval atom "the smallest unit of a chemical element", settled as the English scientific term.