nickel etymology

Etymology:

• From Middle English nickel, from German kupfernickel, literally meaning "copper demon", from Old High German nikkisk**, from *nix ("water sprite") + kisil ("demon", "goblin").

Meaning:

• A silvery-white metallic element used in coinage and many alloys, especially of copper.
• A coin made of nickel, typically worth five cents in the United States.

Origin:

The term "nickel" has its roots in German folklore, where mischievous water sprites or goblins were known as "nixies" or "nickels". These creatures were often associated with copper mines, and when miners encountered a copper ore that did not contain much copper, they believed it was the work of the nixies. As a result, they called this ore "kupfernickel", meaning "copper demon".

Over time, the name "nickel" became associated with the metal itself, which was later identified as a distinct element. The term was first used in a scientific context by the Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt in 1751.

nickel relate terms

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  Etymology The word copper comes from the Latin word cuprum which is believed to be

• Cyprus

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• bronze

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• Krampus

  Etymology The word Krampus has its roots in Old High German specifically Kramm or

• cramp

  Etymology Middle English crampe from Old French crampe from Vulgar Latin crampea fr

• crook

  Etymology The word crook is derived from the Old English word croc which meant a h

• Nick

  Etymology Derived from the Greek name Νικόλαος Nikolaos meaning victory of

• nixie

  Etymology The word nixie originates from the German word Nix which means water spi

• pumpernickel

  Etymology The word pumpernickel is of German origin derived from the Low German phras

• jitney

  Etymology The word jitney derives from the French phrase jeton which means a small m

• metal

  Etymology The word metal is derived from the Late Latin word metāllum which is ulti

• plate

  Etymology The word plate comes from the Old French word plate which is derived from

• icon

  Etymology The word icon comes from the Greek word εἰκών eikōn which means

• coin

  Etymology The word coin is derived from the Latin word cuneus which means wedge T

• atomic

  Etymology The word atomic comes from the Greek word atomos which means indivisible