tellurium

Where does the word "tellurium" come from? It comes from Latin tellus, and was adopted directly into English (1798).

Tellurium’s story begins in Latin: tellus meant “the earth.” The earth, chosen to complement the related element later named for the moon. It reached English by 1798 as tellurium. Coined by chemists for the newly isolated element. Today, tellurium means a brittle, silvery-white metalloid chemical element.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient tellus "the earth", the earth, chosen to complement the related element later named for the moon.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1798 tellurium "a brittle, silvery-white metalloid element", coined by chemists for the newly isolated element.