Lithium
/ˈlɪθiəm/noun
A soft, silvery alkali metal used in batteries and some medicines.
Did you know?Lithium was discovered in 1817 in a mineral sample, and its name comes from Greek lithos, a reminder that even the lightest metal in the periodic table has a stone-born origin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leǵʰ-
“to lie, lay”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λίθος (lithos)
“stone, rock”
1817
Swedish/Scientific Latin
lithium
“name coined for the new element from a mineral source”
19th Century
English
lithium
“the chemical element lithium”
Modern English
English
lithium
“the soft alkali metal and its compounds”
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