nitrogen (English)

Where does "nitrogen" come from?

The English noun 'nitrogen' was borrowed from the French 'nitrogène'[1], a term coined in 1790 by the French chemist and physician Jean-Antoine Chaptal[1][2]. Chaptal built the French word from 'nitre' meaning 'saltpetre' combined with the suffix '-gène', following the model of 'oxygène'[2]. The component 'nitre' traces back through Latin 'nitrum' and Ancient Greek 'νίτρον'[3][5], which were ultimately borrowed from Semitic[4][5] via Egyptian 'nṯrj'[3].

Open questions

The ultimate derivation from a Semitic source via Egyptian 'nṯrj' involves reconstructed or ancient linguistic stages with thin historical evidence. [3] [4] [5]

Full etymology tree

nitrogen (English), 'The chemical element (symbol N) with an atomic number of 7 and atomic weight of 14.0067. It is a colorless and odorless gas.'
- borrowed nitrogène (French), 'nitrogen'
  - compound nitre (French), 'saltpetre (potassium nitrate)'
    - borrowed nitrum (Latin), 'various alkalis (especially soda ash)'
      - borrowed νίτρον (nítron) (Ancient Greek), 'sodium carbonate or sodium nitrate (or perhaps mineral potassium nitrate), which were not distinguished in Europe until the 13th century'
        borrowed (Semitic)
        derived nṯrj (Egyptian), 'divine, holy'
  - suffix -gène (French), '-gen, -genic'

Ancestors

nitrogène (French)

Descendants and derived words

antinitrogen (English)
carbon-nitrogen cycle (English)
carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle (English)
dinitrogen (English)
hydronitrogen (English)
lean nitrogen oxide trap (English)
liquid nitrogen (English)
multinitrogen (English)
nitragin (English)
nitrian (English)
nitrogen-13 (English)
nitrogen-14 (English)

Related words

chemical (English)

Sources

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris