Kupfernickel
/ˈkuːpfɐˌnɪkl̩/noun
A copper-red mineral of nickel arsenide, and the historical source of the name of the chemical element nickel.
Did you know?The name came from German miners who blamed a mischievous spirit called Nickel for an ore that looked like copper but refused to yield any metal, and that same “deceitful” ore later gave the element nickel its name.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
German
Kupfernickel
“A deceptive copper-looking ore that miners could not smelt profitably.”
18th Century
German
Nickel
“The name applied to the metal extracted from the ore; also linked to a goblin-like miner’s nickname.”
1754
Swedish
niccolum
“A Latinized scientific name used in early chemical writing for the new metal.”
1750s
English
nickel
“The chemical element and metal, named from the ore and its German mining folklore.”