Osmium
/ˈɒz.mi.əm/noun
A hard, dense, bluish-white chemical element with atomic number 76.
Did you know?Osmium was named after the Greek word for smell because osmium tetroxide produces an intense odor and is highly poisonous, even at low concentrations.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃ed-
“To smell or perceive an odor; traditionally also connected with the root meaning “to eat” in related branches”
Proto-Hellenic
Proto-Hellenic
*osmā
“Smell or odor”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὀσμή (osmḗ)
“Smell, scent, or odor”
1803
New Latin
Osmium
“A newly named chemical element, from Greek osmḗ, “smell””
19th Century
English
osmium
“A rare, extremely dense metallic element”