Etymologically
Log in

platinum

Etymology and origin of the English word platinum

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1812
Ultimate origin
Spanish (platina)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈplæt.ɪn.əm/, /ˈplæt.nəm/[1]

Etymology

It was coined in 1812 by the British chemist Sir Humphry Davy as an alteration of the earlier platina (1750), to match other metal names in -um such as tantalum,[2][3][4] from Spanish platina (“platinum”), a diminutive of plata, silver,[2][3][5] from Old French plate or Old Occitan plata, a sheet of metal (see plate).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The metal: 1812, when Davy renamed it;[2][6][3] Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1794.[7]

Semantic evolution

The Spaniards at first thought the metal an inferior silver, hence the name platina; it came from their colonies in Mexico and Colombia.[3] As a greyish-white colour it is by 1923,[3][6] and as a shade of blond hair by 1927, in platinum blonde, the title of a 1931 film starring Jean Harlow.[3] A platinum record, presented for a very large number of sales, is from 1971.[6]

Timeline

  • 1750 – platina.[2]
  • 1812 – platinum.[2]
  • 1923 – a grey colour.[6]
  • 1927 – platinum blonde.[3]
  • 1971 – a platinum record.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A heavy, silvery-white precious metallic element, resistant to corrosion, used in jewellery and as a catalyst; symbol Pt.
  2. A medium to light grey colour.

Adjective

  1. Of a record or album, having sold a very large number of copies.

Word family

  • platinize
  • cisplatin
  • platin-
  • platinate
  • platinic
  • multiplatinum
  • platiniridium
  • platinite

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Platinum.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/platinum. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·