uranium

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌjuː.ˈɹeɪ.ni.əm/; /jʊˈɹeɪniəm/, /ˌjyː.ˈɹəɪ̯.nɪ̝.əm/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is New Latin uranium, coined in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth,^[2][3][4] from Uranus, the planet discovered by William Herschel in 1781, and -ium.^[3][4][5][6] The planet was named after the Greek god of the heavens, Latin Ūranus, from Ancient Greek Οὐρανός (Ouranós, “heaven”).^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The metallic element: 1797 in English.^[3][8][2]

Semantic evolution

It is found in pitchblende.^[4] The AHD notes that Herschel first called his planet Georgium sidus after George III, but convention gave it the name of a deity like the other planets: Uranus, father of Saturn.^[7] Uranium compounds and ores are named from 1890.^[8]

Timeline

• 1781 – the planet Uranus discovered.^[3]
• 1789 – uranium named by Klaproth.^[2]
• 1797 – uranium in English.^[3][8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A heavy, silvery-white, radioactive metallic chemical element, used as a source of nuclear energy; symbol U, atomic number 92.

Word family

• uran-
• uranic
• uraninite
• uranite
• urano-
• uranous
• uranyl
• uranium dioxide

Related words

• urania
• Uranian
• Uranus
• plutonium
• neptunium
• tellurium

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press