Etymologically
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uranium

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [uːˈra.ni.ũː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [uˈraː.ni.um][1]

Forms

ūranium n (genitive ūraniī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is from New Latin Ūranus + -ium: the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth named it in 1789 in Modern Latin after the planet Uranus, which had been found shortly before.[2][3] The planet's name comes from Ancient Greek Οὐρανός (Ouranós), the sky god.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It was coined in 1789 by Klaproth as the name of the new element.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is the Latin name of the radioactive chemical element with atomic number 92,[3][1] and English took it over in 1797.[2]

Timeline

  • 1789 – Klaproth names the element uranium after the planet Uranus.[2]
  • 1797 – The word is first recorded in English.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (New Latin) uranium, a radioactive chemical element.[1][3]

Usage notes

Unrelated to the element is Ūranium, the name of a town in Caria that Pliny the Elder mentions.[4][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Victionarium (Latin Wiktionary), la.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.