Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "lithium" come from? It comes from Greek lithos, and was adopted directly into English (1818).
Read the full story
Where does the word "lithium" come from? It comes from Greek lithos, and was adopted directly into English (1818).
Lithium’s story begins in Greek: lithos meant “a stone.” Stone, since the element was discovered in a mineral rather than plant sources like related elements. It reached English by 1818 as lithium. Coined by chemists to distinguish the mineral-derived alkali metal. Today, lithium means a soft, light, silvery-white metallic element used in batteries and medicine.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient lithos "a stone", stone, since the element was discovered in a mineral rather than plant sources like related elements.
- Stage 2 · English · 1818 lithium "a soft, light, reactive silvery metal", coined by chemists to distinguish the mineral-derived alkali metal.