Where does “arsenic” come from?

arsenic (Middle French) comes from Latin arsenicum, from Ancient Greek ἀρσενικόν, from Middle Persian zarnīk, from Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬀, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃i.

Ancestry of “arsenic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinarsenicumarsenic
2Ancient Greekἀρσενικόνorpiment - arsenic sulphide; yellow arsenic
3Middle Persianzarnīk
4Avestan𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬀gold; golden
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃i

Words derived from “arsenic

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃iEvery word from Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬀Every word from Middle Persian zarnīk
arsenic — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer