Stannum
/ˈstænəm/noun
A Latin-derived scientific name for tin, especially in historical or chemical contexts.
Did you know?The chemical symbol Sn comes directly from stannum, even though modern English calls the element “tin.”
Etymological Timeline
1st millennium BCE
Latin
stannum
“Tin or an alloy containing tin, sometimes associated with lead or silver”
1st Century CE
Classical Latin
stannum
“Tin and related metallic alloys; the word appears in Roman descriptions of metals”
Medieval Latin
Latin
stannum
“Tin, preserving the classical metallurgical term”
12th–13th Century
Old Spanish / Old French
estaño / estain
“Tin, descended through Romance forms from Latin stannum”
16th–17th Century
Scientific Latin
stannum
“Formal name for the chemical element tin”
Modern English
English
stannum
“A historical or technical term for tin, reflected in the element symbol Sn”
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