Etymology

nitrous

N1I1T1R1O1U1S1

Today it means: Pertaining to or composed of nitre; having the properties of nitre, bitter. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Middle French nitreux ← Latin nitrōsus
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromnitrōsus“nitrose”
  2. Middle French · derived fromnitreux
  3. English todaynitrous

From Middle French nitreux, and its source, Latin nitrōsus (“nitrose”). Doublet of nitroso. By surface analysis, nitro- + -ous.

Words from the same roots

Latinnitrōsus all →

nitroso

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. Pertaining to or composed of nitre; having the properties of nitre, bitter.
  • from 17th c. Of, relating to, or derived from nitrogen, especially in which the valence of the nitrogen is lower than that of a corresponding nitric species.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.