Etymologically
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lithium

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈlɪθi.əm/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English lithia + -ium, with the ending of the names of chemical elements.[2][3][4][5][6][7] lithia, the oxide of the metal, is from New Latin lithia, an alteration of lithion after soda and potassa.[2] That name was made as if from Ancient Greek λίθειον (lítheion), the neuter of λίθειος (lítheios, “stony”), from λίθος (líthos, “stone”).[2][6] Berzelius proposed it in 1818 for the alkali that Arfwedson had discovered in 1817, to mark its mineral origin, since the two alkalis known before were of vegetable origin.[2][6][7] Barnhart takes the element's name directly as New Latin, from the Greek word and the suffix,[7] Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com from lith- and -ium,[8][9] and Collins from litho-.[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The metallic element of the alkaline group found in small amounts in various minerals: 1818, in the Quarterly Journal of Science & Arts, where lithia is recorded on the page before.[2][6][7]

Semantic evolution

The element was named in 1818, a year after its discovery,[7][2] and the older name lithion remained in use for the oxide until about 1856.[2] From 1893 lithia was also short for lithia water, a mineral water containing lithium salts.[2] The American Heritage Dictionary also uses lithium for any of several salts of the metal, especially lithium carbonate.[5]

Timeline

  • 1817 – the alkali is discovered by Arfwedson.[7][2]
  • 1818 – lithion and lithia, the oxide.[2]
  • 1818 – lithium, the metal.[2][6][7][8]
  • 1856 – last record of lithion.[2]
  • 1893 – lithia, short for lithia water.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A soft, silvery, highly reactive chemical element of the alkali metal group, the lightest metal known, used in batteries and alloys (symbol Li, atomic number 3).[10][8][5][2]
  2. Any of several salts of this metal, especially lithium carbonate.[5]

Word family

  • lithium carbonate
  • lithia
  • lithic
  • lith-
  • litho-
  • -lite
  • -lith
  • lithograph
  • monolith

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  6. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  8. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  10. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins