Samarium
/səˈmɛəriəm/noun
A chemical element, symbol Sm, a soft silvery rare-earth metal.
Did you know?Samarium was named in 1879 from the mineral samarskite, itself named after the Russian mining official Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets, showing how modern chemistry still carries the fingerprints of empire and extraction.
Etymological Timeline
1879
French
samarium
“A newly identified rare-earth element named from samarskite”
1840s
French
samarskite
“A mineral named after Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets”
19th Century
Russian
Самарский
“A surname derived from Samara, a place name on the Volga”
Ancient/Medieval
Russian
Самара
“The name of a river and settlement in the Volga region”
Modern English
English
samarium
“The chemical element samarium”
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