Periodic Table: Word Etymology (Origin of Latin Symbols)

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Etymology of Elements

The origin of the symbol is given only if it differs from that of the name of the element.

Element	Symbol	Origin
Actinium	Ac	Greek aktinos, meaning ray
Aluminium	Al	Latin alumen, meaning bitter salt
Americium	Am	Named for America, where it was first made
Antimony	Sb	Greek anti - monos, meaning not - alone; Latinstibium, the name of antimony sulfide in ancient times
Argon	Ar	Greek argos, meaning idle
Arsenic	As	Greek arsenikon, meaning yellow orpiment, a mineral
Astatine	At	Greek astatos, meaning unstable
Barium	Ba	Greek barys, meaning heavy
Berkelium	Bk	Named for the city of Berkeley, CA, where it was first made
Beryllium	Be	Greek beryllo, meaning beryl; originally glaucinium, Greek glykos meaning sweet
Bismuth	Bi	German Bisemuten, from Wismuth, from Weisse Masse, meaning white mass
Bohrium	Bh	Named for Niels Bohr, Danish atomic physicist
Boron	Bo	Arabic buraq, meaning borax; a combination of borax and carbon
Bromine	Br	Greek bromos, meaning stench
Cadmium	Cd	Latin cadmia, meaning mineral calamine
Caesium	Cs	Latin caesius; meaning sky blue
Calcium	Ca	Latin calx, meaning lime
Californium	Cf	Named for the University and State of California, where it was first made
Carbon	C	Latin carbo, meaning charcoal
Cerium	Ce	Named after the asteroid Ceres, which had been named after the Roman goddess of agriculture
Chlorine	Cl	Greek chloros, meaning greenish-yellow
Chromium	Cr	Greek chroma, meaning colour
Cobalt	Co	German kobald, meaning goblin
Copper	Cu	Old English coper, from Latin Cypreum aes
Curium	Cm	Named in honour of Pierre and Marie Curie
Darmstadtium	Ds	Named for Darmstadt, Germany, where it was first made
Dubnium	Db	Named for the Russian town Dubna, where the JINR is located
Dysprosium	Dy	Greek dysprositos, meaning hard to get
Einsteinium	Es	Named for Albert Einstein, meaning
Erbium	Er	Named for Ytterby, Sweden
Europium	Eu	Named after Europe
Fermium	Fm	Named for nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi
Fluorine	F	Latin fluere, meaning to flow
Francium	Fr	Named after France
Gadolinium	Gd	Named in honour of John Gadolin, who investigated gadolinite
Gallium	Ga	Latin Gallia, the name for France
Germanium	Ge	Latin Germania, the name for Germany
Gold	Au	Anglo-Saxon gold, from Latin geolo, meaning yellow; Au from Latin aureum, meaning glow of sunrise
Hafnium	Hf	Latin Hafnia, the name for Copenhagen
Hassium	Hs	Named for the German State of Hesse, where it was first made
Helium	He	Greek helios, meaning the Sun
Holmium	Ho	Latin Holmia , the name for Stockholm
Hydrogen	H	Greek hydro and genes, meaning water-forming
Indium	In	Latin indicum, meaning violet or indigo
Iodine	I	Greek iodes, meaning violet
Iridium	Ir	Named for Iris, Greek goddess of the rainbow
Iron	Fe	Anglo-Saxon iren; Fe, Latin ferrum, word for iron
Krypton	Kr	Greek kryptos, meaning hidden
Lanthanum	La	Greek lanthanein, meaning lie hidden
Lawrencium	Lr	Named for Ernest O. Lawrence, the inventor of thecyclotron
Lead	Pb	Anglo-Saxon lead; Pb, Latin plumbum, name for lead. Old Roman word for  lead piping used in their aquaducts and the reason we call people "Plumbers" that work on piping...they originally used lead pipes.
Lithium	Li	Greek lithos, meaning stone
Lutetium	Lu	Latin Lutetia, Roman name for Paris
Magnesium	Mg	Named for Magnesia, a district of Greece
Manganese	Mn	Latin magnes, meaning magnet
Meitnerium	Mt	Named for Austrian physicist Lise Meitner
Mendelevium	Md	Named for Dimitri Mendeleyev, who produced one of the first periodic tables
Mercury	Hg	Named for the planet Mercury; Hg Latin hydrargyrum, meaning liquid silver
Molybdenum	Mo	Greek molybdos, meaning lead
Neodymium	Nd	Greek neo didymos, meaning new twin
Neon	Ne	Greek neos, meaning new
Neptunium	Np	Named for the planet Neptune
Nickel	Ni	German kupfernickel, meaning devil's copper or St. Nicholas' copper
Niobium	Nb	For Niobe in Greek mythology
Nitrogen	N	Greek nitron and genes, meaning nitre-forming
Nobelium	No	Named for Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel
Osmium	Os	Greek osme, meaning smell
Oxygen	O	Greek oxy and genes, meaning acid-forming
Palladium	Pd	For the asteroid Pallas; for the Greek goddess of wisdom
Phosphorus	P	Greek phosphoros, meaning bringer of light
Platinum	Pt	Spanish platina, meaning little silver
Plutonium	Pu	Named for the planet Pluto
Polonium	Po	Named for Poland
Potassium	K	From English potash; K from kalium Medieval Latin for potash
Praseodymium	Pr	Greek prasios didymos, meaning green twin
Promethium	Pm	Named for Prometheus, the Greek who stole fire from the gods
Protactinium	Pa	Greek protos, meaning first, as a prefix to the nameactinium
Radium	Ra	Latin radius, meaning ray
Radon	Rn	Derived from radium
Rhenium	Re	Latin Rhenus, the name for the Rhine
Rhodium	Rh	Greek rhodon, meaning rose-coloured
Roentgenium	Rg	Named for the scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röentgen
Rubidium	Rb	Latin rubidius, meaning deepest red
Ruthenium	Ru	Derived from Latin name for Russia
Rutherfordium	Rf	Named for New Zealand chemist Ernest Rutherford
Samarium	Sm	Named for samarskite, the mineral from which it was first extracted
Scandium	Sc	Latin Scandia, the name for Scandanavia
Seaborgium	Sg	Named for Glenn T. Seaborg, meaning
Selenium	Se	Greek Selene, the name for the Moon
Silicon	Si	Latin silex or silicia, meaning flint
Silver	Ag	Anglo-Saxon siolfur, the word for silver; Ag, Latinargentum, the word for silver
Sodium	Na	English word soda; Na, Latin natrium, meaning soda
Strontium	Sr	Named for the town of Strontian, Scotland
Sulfur	S	Sanskrit sulvere, or Latin sulfurium, both names for sulfur
Tantalum	Ta	Named for the Greek figure Tantalus, King of Sisyphus, in Lydia
Technetium	Tc	Greek tekhnetos, meaning artificial
Tellurium	Te	Latin tellus, meaning Earth
Terbium	Tb	Named for Ytterby, Sweden
Thallium	Tl	Greek thallos, meaning green twig
Thorium	Th	Named for Thor, Scandanavian god of war
Thulium	Tm	Derived from Thule, the ancient name forScandanavia
Tin	Sn	Anglo-Saxon tin; Sn, Latin stannum, meaning hard
Titanium	Ti	Named for the Titans of Greek mythology
Tungsten	W	Swedish tung sten, meaning heavy stone; W fromwolfram, the old name of the tungstenn mineral wolframite
Uranium	U	Named for the planet Uranus
Vanadium	V	Named for Vanadis, the Scandanavian goddess of beauty
Xenon	Xe	Greek zenos, meaning stranger
Ytterbium	Yb	Named for Ytterby, Sweden
Yttrium	Y	Named for Ytterby, Sweden
Zinc	Zn	German zink
Zirconium	Zr	Arabian zargun, meaning gold-coloured

Unnamed Elements

Element	Symbol	Origin
Ununbium	Uub	Unnamed
Ununtriium	Uut	Unnamed
Ununquadium	Uuq	Unnamed
Ununpentium	Uup	Unnamed
Ununhexium	Uuh	Unnamed
Ununseptium	Uus	Unnamed
Ununoctium	Uuo	Unnamed
Ununennium	Uue	Unnamed