Borax
/ˈbɔːr.æks/noun
A white mineral salt used in cleaning, metallurgy, and glassmaking.
Did you know?The English word likely came through Medieval Latin and Arabic trade vocabulary for a mineral that was prized in metalworking and glassmaking, so its name is tied to the old chemistry of transformation.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
βόραξ (bórax)
“a kind of mineral substance, especially a natron-like salt used in craft and trade”
Late Antiquity
Latin
borax
“borax, a mineral salt used for flux and cleaning”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
būraq
“borax or a similar white mineral salt”
Middle English
English
boras / borax
“borax, the mineral salt”
Modern English
English
borax
“a white mineral salt used in cleaning, metallurgy, and glassmaking”