Etymologically
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ion

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:52. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈaɪən/, /ˈaɪ.ɒn/[1]

Etymology

It is from Greek ἰόν (ión, “going”), the neuter present participle of εἶμι (iénai, “to go”),[2][3][4][5] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *ei- (“to go”).[3] It was introduced in 1834 by Michael Faraday, at the suggestion of William Whewell.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Either of the constituents that pass to the electrodes in electrolysis: 1834.[6][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The name was given because ions move toward the electrode of opposite charge.[3][2] The modern sense, an atom or group of atoms with a positive or negative electric charge, followed.[7][8] Ion beam and ion engine are from 1932 on.[6] Ionize is a 19th-century formation.[4]

Timeline

  • 1834 – coined by Faraday.[6][3]
  • 1932 – ion beam.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An atom or group of atoms with a net electric charge, from having lost or gained one or more electrons.

Word family

  • anion
  • cation

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin