Gallium
/ˈɡæl.i.əm/noun
A soft, silvery metal that melts at a very low temperature and is used in electronics.
Did you know?Gallium was named by its discoverer, Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, in a way that likely nods both to Gallia (Gaul/France) and to his own surname, since Latin gallus means “rooster.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghel-
“To shine or be yellowish (the distant root behind Latin words for bright, gleaming things).”
Latin
Latin
gallus
“Rooster; also a word that later became associated with the French/Gaulish name in learned Latin wordplay.”
Latin
Latin
Gallia
“Gaul, the Roman name for the region that became associated with France.”
1875
French
gallium
“A newly discovered element named by Lecoq de Boisbaudran.”
Modern English
English
gallium
“The chemical element with atomic number 31.”