English
uranium
Uranium comes from Latin Ūranus, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁wers- ‘to rain’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁wers-‘to rain’root as named
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΟὐρᾰνόςOurănós
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEŪranus
- English1500–presentUranus
- Englishearliest quotation 2025uranium
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁wers-‘to rain’root as named
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΟὐρᾰνόςOurănós
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEŪranus
- English1500–presentUranus
- Englishearliest quotation 2025uranium
Earliest quotation: 2025, Laura Sharman and Sophie Tanno: “The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog says US…”
Formed from -ium
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁wers- ‘to rain’
Today it means
noun The element with atomic number 92 and symbol U. A radioactive silvery-grey metal in the actinide series.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁wers- / uranium