Beryllium
/bəˈrɪliəm/noun
A light, hard, grayish metallic chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4.
Did you know?The mineral name beryl ultimately produced words connected with optical brilliance because beryl was historically fashioned into lenses and spectacles.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
βήρυλλος (bḗryllos)
“Beryl, a precious gemstone—probably referring especially to green varieties.”
1st Century
Latin
beryllus
“Beryl or a crystal-like precious stone; the Latin form was used in mineral and lapidary writing.”
Middle Ages
Old French
beril
“Beryl, inherited through medieval Latin and used for the gemstone.”
16th Century
English
beryl
“The gemstone; beryl was also associated with transparent stones used for viewing and lenses.”
1798
French
béryllium
“The proposed name for the newly identified element, formed from béryl, “beryl,” with the chemical suffix -ium.”
19th Century
English
beryllium
“The established English name for the chemical element Be.”
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