Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Hydrogen
The lightest chemical element, symbol H.
The Greek roots
ὕδωρ
hýdōr
water
γενής
-genḗs
forming
Literally: “water-former”
The story of the word
Named the 'water-former' because burning it produces water — the -gen ending means 'that which produces'.
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
In a sentence
Hydrogen fuses into helium at the heart of the sun.