Etymology

aniline

A1N1I1L1I1N1E1

Today it means: The simplest aromatic amine, C₆H₅NH₂, synthesized by the reduction of nitrobenzene; it is a colourless oily basic poisonous liquid used in the manufacture of dyes and pharmaceuticals. Full definition →

German Anilin ← Portuguese anil ← Arabic نِيل (nīl)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*neyH-der.?
  2. Sanskritनील॑ (nī́la)
  3. Middle Persian𐭭𐭩𐭫 (nīl)
  4. Arabicنِيل (nīl)
  5. Portugueseanil
  6. GermanAnilin
  7. English todayaniline

Borrowed from German Anilin, coined by German chemist Carl Julius Fritzsche. From Portuguese anil (“indigo”) + -in (“-ine (organic compounds)”).

Words from the same roots

Portugueseanil all →

anil

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.