Tin
/tɪn/noun
A soft, silvery-white chemical element used especially in alloys and protective coatings.
Did you know?Tin’s chemical symbol, Sn, comes from Latin stannum, while the English word developed through Germanic forms probably borrowed from that same ancient metal name.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
stannum
“Tin or an alloy containing tin; the source of the chemical symbol Sn”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tiną
“Tin; a Germanic form traditionally connected with Latin stannum”
Old English
Old English
tin
“Tin, the soft metal”
Middle English
Middle English
tin
“Tin; the spelling and basic meaning remained stable”
Modern English
English
tin
“The chemical element tin, or a thin coating or container made from tin or tin-plated metal”
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