Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Electrolyte
/ɪˈlɛktrəlaɪt/noun
A substance whose ions carry current when dissolved or molten.
The Greek roots
ἤλεκτρον
ḗlektron
amber
λυτός
lytós
able to be loosed
Literally: “loosed by amber-force”
The story of the word
Faraday's 1834 naming session produced this one too: the substance that a current can loosen into its parts, from λυτός. Sports drinks now sell the word for the sodium and potassium lost in sweat, which is the same chemistry seen from the other side, ions free to move. The λυ- element also gives analysis, paralysis and catalyst.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → scientific coinage → English
- First recorded
- 1834
Same family
electrolysisanalysisparalysiscatalyst
In a sentence
The battery leaked electrolyte over the shelf.
After the race he drank two litres with an electrolyte tablet in it.