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Where does the word "wolfram" come from? It comes from German Wolfram, and was adopted directly into English (1750s).
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Where does the word "wolfram" come from? It comes from German Wolfram, and was adopted directly into English (1750s).
Wolfram’s story begins in German: Wolfram meant “wolf's froth.” 'wolf's froth', perhaps because the ore 'devoured' tin in smelting like a wolf. It reached English by 1750s as wolfram. Tungsten's chemical symbol, W, comes from it. Today, wolfram means tungsten, or its ore.
- Stage 1 · German · 1500s Wolfram "wolf's froth", 'wolf's froth', perhaps because the ore 'devoured' tin in smelting like a wolf.
- Stage 2 · English · 1750s wolfram "tungsten ore", tungsten's chemical symbol, W, comes from it.