Etymograph

English

germanium

Germanium comes from Latin Germānus ‘relating to the native peoples or tribes of…’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEGermānus‘relating to the native peoples or tribes of ancient Germania’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEGermānī
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEGermānia
  4. Germanc. 1650–presentGermanium
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1959germanium

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEGermānus‘relating to the native peoples or tribes of ancient Germania’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEGermānī
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEGermānia
  4. Germanc. 1650–presentGermanium
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1959germanium

Earliest quotation: 1959, Talking of Trains: New B.R. locomotive orders: “This equipment, which includes transformers, germanium rectifiers and smoothing…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘short’

girl, card, chart, rocket, cartoon, chronic, chorus, cartel, cartridge, carton, carte, synchronous, urchin, crony, cartography, synchronize, cron, cartouche, 33 more

Today it means

noun A nonmetallic chemical element (symbol Ge) with an atomic number of 32: a lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin Germānus / germanium

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