Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "magnesium" come from? It comes from Greek Magnesia, and was adopted directly into English (1808).
Read the full story
Where does the word "magnesium" come from? It comes from Greek Magnesia, and was adopted directly into English (1808).
Magnesium’s story begins in Greek: Magnesia meant “a region of Greece.” A district in Greece where a distinctive white mineral was found. It reached English by 1808 as magnesium. Coined by chemist Humphry Davy for the metal isolated from the Magnesian mineral. Today, magnesium means a light, silvery-white reactive metallic element.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient Magnesia "a region of Greece", a district in Greece where a distinctive white mineral was found.
- Stage 2 · English · 1808 magnesium "a light, silvery-white reactive metal", coined by chemist Humphry Davy for the metal isolated from the Magnesian mineral.