English
platinum
Platinum comes from Spanish platina ‘little silver’, from Vulgar Latin *plattus ‘flattened’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- ‘flat’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleth₂-‘flat’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pléth₂us‘flat, broad’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*plətús‘wide, broad’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλατύςplatús‘wide’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*plattus‘flattened’reconstructed
- Spanishc. 1500–presentplata‘silver’
- Spanish, derivedc. 1500–presentplatina‘little silver’
- Englishtodayplatinum
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleth₂-‘flat’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pléth₂us‘flat, broad’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*plətús‘wide, broad’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλατύςplatús‘wide’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*plattus‘flattened’reconstructed
- Spanishc. 1500–presentplata‘silver’
- Spanish, derivedc. 1500–presentplatina‘little silver’
- Englishtodayplatinum
Formed from -um
The story
It was called "little" (or "lesser") silver because the metal was found as an impurity in gold, and del Pinto for the Pinto River in Gran Colombia where Europeans discovered it being mined by Native Americans.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- ‘flat’
flat, lateral, piazza, plateau, flan, plantain, 14 more
through Proto-Hellenic *plətús ‘wide, broad’
through Ancient Greek πλατύς ‘wide’
plane, platform, plaice, 5 more
through Vulgar Latin *plattus ‘flattened’
through Spanish plata ‘silver’
Today it means
noun The chemical element with atomic number 78 and symbol Pt; a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, silverish-white transition metal of great value.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- / platinum