uranium

Where does the word "uranium" come from? It comes from Greek Ouranos, and was adopted directly into English (1789).

Uranium’s story begins in Greek: Ouranos meant “the sky god Uranus.” The primordial god of the sky, namesake of the planet Uranus. It reached English by 1789 as uranium. Named by its discoverer to honor the recently discovered planet Uranus. Today, uranium means a dense, radioactive metallic element used as nuclear fuel.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient Ouranos "the sky god Uranus", the primordial god of the sky, namesake of the planet Uranus.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1789 uranium "a dense radioactive metallic element", named by its discoverer to honor the recently discovered planet Uranus.