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Where does the word "strontium" come from? It comes from Scottish Gaelic Strontian, and was adopted directly into English (1808).
Read the full story
Where does the word "strontium" come from? It comes from Scottish Gaelic Strontian, and was adopted directly into English (1808).
Strontium’s story begins in Scottish Gaelic: Strontian meant “a Scottish village name.” A village in Scotland where the mineral containing the element was discovered. It reached English by 1808 as strontium. Named for the village where the mineral was first found. Today, strontium means a soft, silvery-yellow reactive metallic element.
- Stage 1 · Scottish Gaelic · 1790s Strontian "a Scottish village name", a village in Scotland where the mineral containing the element was discovered.
- Stage 2 · English · 1808 strontium "a soft, silvery-yellow reactive metal", named for the village where the mineral was first found.