Where does “platinum” come from?
Platinum comes from French platine, derived from Latin plattus meaning "flat," from Ancient Greek πλατύς meaning "broad," combined with the Latin diminutive suffix -inus.
platinum (English): The chemical element with atomic number 78 and...
Definitions
- The chemical element with atomic number 78 and...
Ancestry of “platinum”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | platina | platinum; stage |
| 2 | Spanish | plata | argent; silver; money |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | plattus | flattened; flat; smooth |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πλατύς | wide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pléth₂us | flat, broad |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pleth₂- | flat |
Words derived from “platinum”