English
radium
Radium comes from French radio(actif), from actif ‘active’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400actif‘active’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentactif‘active’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentradio(actif)
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentradium
- Englishearliest quotation 1902radium
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400actif‘active’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentactif‘active’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentradio(actif)
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentradium
- Englishearliest quotation 1902radium
Earliest quotation: 1902, Ernest Howard Adye, Radio-active Elements: “Madame [Marie] Curie, working with her distinguished husband, isolated…”
Formed from -ium
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
suggest, register, essay, acre, gesture, congestion, digest, belligerent, progesterone, agrarian, gestation, ingestion, ingest, agitate, axiomatic, agger, samaj, gerund, gestion, 128 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
strategy, agony, antagonist, reactionary, axiom, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, glucagon, stratagem, agonize, 102 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
reaction, transaction, unambiguous, reagent, ambiguously, 80 more
through Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’
act, action, agency, actual, agent, actor, agenda, examination, examine, ambiguous, squat, enact, agile, ambiguity, agility, assay, agitation, actuator, hyperactivity, cogent, actuation, inexact, exigent, actuate, redact, 92 more
through Latin āctīvus ‘active’
activity, actively, inactive, 24 more
through Old French actif ‘active’
through French actif ‘active’
Today it means
noun The chemical element (symbol Ra) with an atomic number of 88. It is a soft, shiny and silvery radioactive alkaline earth metal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / radium