Etymology

magnesium

mag·ne·si·um
M3A1G2N1E1S1I1U1M3

Today it means: The chemical element with an atomic number of 12. It is a light, easily flammable, silvery-white alkaline earth metal. Full definition →

New Latin magnēsium ← Latin magnēsius ← Ancient Greek Μαγνησία (Magnēsía)
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The story

  1. Ancient GreekΜάγνης (Mágnēs)
  2. Ancient GreekΜαγνησία (Magnēsía)
  3. LatinMagnēsia
  4. Latinmagnēsius
  5. New Latinmagnēsium
  6. English todaymagnesium

From New Latin magnēsium, from Ancient Greek μαγνησία (magnēsía), after Μαγνησία (Magnēsía, “Magnesia”), a region in Thessaly. Coined by British chemist Humphry Davy, as a modification of his original suggestion, magnium.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekμαγνησία all →

manganesemagnesia

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.