Etymology Map
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Electricity

4 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a form of energy from charged particles, supplied as current

Where does the word "electricity" come from? It comes from Greek ḗlektron, passing through Latin and New Latin before entering English (1646).

1
Stage 1 of 4
ḗlektron
Greek · ancient
"amber"
'amber'; Thales of Miletus (c. 600 BC) was said to have noticed that rubbed amber attracts light objects
2
Stage 2 of 4
electrum
Latin · classical
"amber"
amber, and also the pale gold-silver alloy of the same colour
3
Stage 3 of 4
electricus
New Latin · 1600
"amber-like"
William Gilbert, physician to Elizabeth I, coined it in De Magnete (1600) for substances that attract things when rubbed, like amber
4
Stage 4 of 4
electricity
English · 1646
"electrical force"
Sir Thomas Browne's Pseudodoxia Epidemica (1646) is the first English book to use the word
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Read the full story

Electricity’s story begins in Greek: ḗlektron meant “amber.” 'amber'; Thales of Miletus (c. 600 BC) was said to have noticed that rubbed amber attracts light objects. By classical, the word had taken hold in Latin as electrum. Amber, and also the pale gold-silver alloy of the same colour. From there it passed into New Latin as electricus by 1600. William Gilbert, physician to Elizabeth I, coined it in De Magnete (1600) for substances that attract things when rubbed, like amber. It reached English by 1646 as electricity. Sir Thomas Browne's Pseudodoxia Epidemica (1646) is the first English book to use the word. Today, electricity means a form of energy from charged particles, supplied as current.