fluorine

Where does the word "fluorine" come from? It comes from Latin fluere, passing through French before entering English (1813).

Fluorine’s story begins in Latin: fluere meant “to flow.” The root of 'fluid', 'influence' and 'flux'. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in French as fluor. Carried into French mineral vocabulary for fluorspar. It reached English by 1813 as fluorine. Coined by Humphry Davy for the reactive gas found in fluorspar. Today, fluorine means a pale yellow, extremely reactive gaseous element.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient fluere "to flow", the root of 'fluid', 'influence' and 'flux'.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1700s fluor "fluorspar, a flowing flux mineral", carried into French mineral vocabulary for fluorspar.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1813 fluorine "a pale yellow, highly reactive gas", coined by Humphry Davy for the reactive gas found in fluorspar.