Fluor
/ˈflʊər/noun
A historical or technical term for fluorite, the mineral also called fluorspar.
Did you know?Fluor comes from Latin *fluor* meaning “a flow,” because fluorite was prized as a flux in metalworking, and that same root later helped name fluorine.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleu-
“to flow, float”
Classical Latin
Latin
fluere
“to flow”
Late Latin
Latin
fluor
“a flow, fluidity”
Medieval Latin
Latin
fluor (calcium fluoride)
“fluorspar; a mineral used to make metals flow more easily”
Modern English
English
fluor
“a historical/technical name for fluorite”