Etymology and origin of the Latin word neon
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing, Coinage
- First attested
- 1898 Ramsay and Travers More words from the 19th century
- Borrowed from
- Ancient Greek νέον
- Ultimate origin
- Ancient Greek νέος
Forms
neon n (genitive neī); second declension[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Ancient Greek νέον (néon), the neuter of νέος (néos, “new”),[1][2][3] so that the name means “the new element”.[2] William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers coined it in 1898 for the element they had discovered, because it was newly found.[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is a New Latin word, the name of the chemical element.[1] The Latin Wiktionary defines it as the element with atomic number 10, symbol Ne.[2]
Timeline
- 1898 – Ramsay and Travers name the newly discovered element from the Greek neuter “new”.[3]
Meanings
Noun
Related words
- English neon
Usage notes
It is not the same word as the ancient personal name Neon (genitive Neōnis), borne by a Boeotian whom Livy mentions.[4][5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Victionarium (Latin Wiktionary), la.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Related etymologies
- -inus · also from Greek
- -eus · also from Greek
- patriarcha · also from Greek
- microscopium · also from Greek
- arteria · also from Greek
- anachoreta · also from Greek
- alleluia · also from Greek
- palladium · also from Greek
Cite this entry
“Neon.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/neon. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·