Naphthalene
/ˈnæfθəliːn/noun
A crystalline aromatic hydrocarbon with a strong odor, formerly used widely in mothballs.
Did you know?Naphthalene was first isolated from coal tar in the early nineteenth century, linking an ancient name for combustible liquid to a modern chemical once used to repel moths.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Mesopotamia
Akkadian
napṭu
“Petroleum or a combustible bituminous substance”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
náphtha
“A flammable mineral oil or bitumen-like substance”
Classical Latin
Latin
naphtha
“Naphtha; a volatile, combustible liquid”
1821
French
naphtaline
“A substance obtained from coal tar; formed from naphtha with the chemical suffix -ine”
19th Century
English
naphthalene
“A crystalline hydrocarbon derived chiefly from coal tar”
Modern English
English
naphthalene
“An aromatic hydrocarbon used historically in mothballs and industrial chemistry”