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cyanogène

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Etymology and origin of the French word cyanogène

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound, Coinage
First attested
1815 Gay-Lussac, Annales de chimie More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek κύανος

Pronunciation

  • /sja.nɔ.ʒɛn/[1]

Forms

cyanogène m (plural cyanogènes)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French cyano- + -gène, a name created by the chemist Gay-Lussac in 1815 for the radical of prussic acid.[2][3][4] Littré explains that he named it so because it is one of the constituents of Prussian blue, from Ancient Greek κύανος (kúanos, “blue”), and notes that the suffix is used here wrongly in the sense “that produces”, since the Greek ending meant “produced”.[5] The GLLF traces the suffix to the Greek verb meaning “to beget”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gay-Lussac introduced it on 18 September 1815 in his research on prussic acid in the Annales de chimie, naming the compounds of cyanogen with the elements cyanures.[2]

Semantic evolution

The noun has kept its chemical sense, a colourless, poisonous gas made of carbon and nitrogen that behaves like a simple body.[5][6] As an adjective it was later used in bacteriology for what produces a blue colour (1895), in medicine for what causes cyanosis, and in zoology for glands that produce hydrocyanic acid (1893).[2]

Timeline

  • 1815 – Gay-Lussac names cyanogène and cyanures.[2][3]
  • 1893 – The adjective is used of glands producing hydrocyanic acid.[2]
  • 1895 – The adjective is used of a bacillus producing a blue pigment.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (chemistry) Cyanogen, a colourless, toxic gas (C₂N₂) smelling of bitter almonds.[6][2][1]

Adjective

  1. (bacteriology) Producing a blue colour.[2]
  2. (medicine) Causing cyanosis.[2]
  3. (zoology) Producing hydrocyanic acid.[2]
  • cyanure
  • cyanose
  • cyanhydrique
  • Ancient Greek κύανος (kúanos)

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Cyanogène.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/cyanog%C3%A8ne. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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