manganese

Where does the word "manganese" come from? It comes from Latin magnes, passing through Italian and French before entering English (1770s).

Manganese’s story begins in Latin: magnes meant “magnet.” Magnet, since manganese ore was confused with magnetic lodestone. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as manganese. Adapted for the dark mineral used by glassmakers. From there it passed into French as manganese by 1700s. Carried into French chemical vocabulary for the mineral and its element. It reached English by 1770s as manganese. Settled as the English word for the hard, brittle metallic element. Today, manganese means a hard, brittle metallic element used in steelmaking.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient magnes "magnet", magnet, since manganese ore was confused with magnetic lodestone.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval manganese "the dark mineral used in glassmaking", adapted for the dark mineral used by glassmakers.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1700s manganese "the mineral and its metallic element", carried into French chemical vocabulary for the mineral and its element.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1770s manganese "a hard, brittle metallic element", settled as the English word for the hard, brittle metallic element.