silicon

Where does the word "silicon" come from? It comes from Latin silex, and was adopted directly into English (1817).

Silicon’s story begins in Latin: silex meant “flint.” Flint, a hard stone rich in the element later isolated from it. It reached English by 1817 as silicon. Coined for the newly isolated element found abundantly in sand and rock. Today, silicon means a hard, brittle metalloid element, fundamental to electronics and glass.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient silex "flint", flint, a hard stone rich in the element later isolated from it.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1817 silicon "a hard, brittle metalloid element", coined for the newly isolated element found abundantly in sand and rock.