Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Iodine
/ˈaɪədiːn/noun
A dark solid non-metallic element, number 53, essential to thyroid function.
The Greek roots
ἰώδης
iṓdēs
violet-coloured
ἴον
íon
violet
Literally: “violet-looking”
The story of the word
Bernard Courtois found it by accident in 1811 while making saltpetre from seaweed ash, adding too much acid and watching violet vapour rise off the vat. Gay-Lussac named it iode for that colour in 1813, and Davy added the English ending. The flower behind it, ion, also names the violet in a dozen European languages.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → French coinage → English
- First recorded
- 1810s
Same family
iodideiodoformviolet
In a sentence
Table salt is fortified with iodine in most countries.