DictionaryRoot: -ium
Latin
-ium
an ending used to name elements and substances
Forms
- -ium
Origin
Scientific naming reused Latin -ium, an ending in many nouns, rather than inheriting an ancient word meaning “chemical element.”
Note
The ending does not mean “metal”: some element names in -ium name nonmetals.
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noun / adjective
platinum
PLAT-ih-num/ˈplætɪnəm/
A dense silvery precious metal.
Etymology
Spanish platina meant “little silver,” reflecting the metal’s silver-like appearance and the Spaniards’ initial belief that it was an inferior kind of silver rather than a distinct metal.