Krypton
/ˈkrɪptɒn/noun
A colorless, odorless noble gas and chemical element with atomic number 36.
Did you know?Krypton was named from Ancient Greek kryptos, meaning “hidden,” because William Ramsay and Morris Travers found it as a tiny concealed residue after evaporating liquid air.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*krep- / *krup-
“A reconstructed root associated with hiding or covering”
Ancient Greek
Greek
krýptō (κρύπτω)
“To hide or conceal”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kryptós (κρυπτός)
“Hidden or concealed”
Late Antiquity
Greek/Latin
kryptḗ / crypta
“A hidden or covered underground passage or chamber”
14th Century
English
crypt
“An underground chamber, especially beneath a church”
1898
Scientific English
krypton
“A newly identified element, named from Greek for “hidden””
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