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molecula

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word molecula

Confidence
Established
Formation
Coinage, Derivation
First attested
1641 Pierre Gassendi More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Latin mōlēs
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin mōlēs
Latin mōlēcula
From the same root
English molar ← mōlēs
Latin mōlior ← mōlēs

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [moːˈɫeː.kʊ.ɫa][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [moˈlɛː.ku.la][1]

Forms

mōlēcula f (genitive mōlēculae); first declension[1] Wiktionary also gives the spelling mōlēcola.[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin mōlēs (“mass”) + -cula in New Latin, as a diminutive of the word for “mass”.[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wiktionary credits the coinage to Pierre Gassendi in 1641.[1] The earliest use Ramminger records is Spinoza's, for a very small particle.[3]

Semantic evolution

In 17th-century scientific Latin it meant a very small particle: Spinoza writes that saltpetre dissolves in water into the tiniest moleculae.[3] Etymonline traces the vogue of the word to the philosophy of Descartes, and the modern sense, the smallest part of a substance that keeps its chemical character, to Amedeo Avogadro in 1811.[2][1]

It passed into French as molécule in the 1670s, which English borrowed as molecule in 1794;[2] Italian molecola, Spanish molécula and German Molekül are borrowings of it too.[1]

Timeline

  • 1641 – Pierre Gassendi coins the word.[1]
  • 1661/1662 – Spinoza uses it of the particles of saltpetre in water.[3]
  • 1670s – French molécule is recorded.[2]
  • 1794 – English molecule appears.[2]
  • 1811 – Amedeo Avogadro first uses it in the modern chemical sense.[2][1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (New Latin) A very small particle.[3]
  2. (New Latin, chemistry) A molecule.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de
Cite this entry

“Molecula.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/molecula. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·