nitrogen etymology

Etymology:

  • Greek: "νίτρον" (nitron), meaning native soda or saltpeter
  • Latin: "nitrogenium"
  • French: "azote"

Meaning:

Nitrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 7 and symbol N. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless diatomic gas that constitutes 78.08% of Earth's atmosphere by volume.

Origin:

The name "nitrogen" was first coined by Jean-Antoine Chaptal in 1790. It comes from the Greek word "νίτρον" (nitron), meaning native soda or saltpeter. This is because nitrogen was first discovered as a component of saltpeter (potassium nitrate).

The term "azote" was introduced by Antoine Lavoisier in 1789. It is derived from the Greek word "α-" (a-), meaning "without," and "ζωή" (zoe), meaning "life." Lavoisier used this name to describe nitrogen because he believed it was a gas that could not support life. However, this turned out to be incorrect, as nitrogen is essential for plant growth and other biological processes.

nitrogen relate terms

  • oxygen

    Etymology The word oxygen is derived from the Greek roots ὀξύς oxys meanin

  • nitre

    Etymology Old French nitre Latin nitrum Greek νίτρον nitron Meaning A n

  • cyan

    Etymology Cyan is derived from the Ancient Greek word kyanos which means dark blue

  • element

    Element Etymology Meaning Origin Actinium

  • atomic

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

  • number

    Etymology Comes from the Old French word nombere which derives from the Latin numer

  • pardon

    Etymology The word pardon comes from the Old French word pardonner which itself come