electric

Rub amber and it attracts straws, so when William Gilbert studied that pull in 1600 he named it after Greek ḗlektron 'amber'. The word spread with European science; Edo Japan met it as the Dutch erekiteru machine, and Arabic translated it with its own Persian word for amber.

Weakest linkCertain

The road to English

From Ancient Greek to English

From New Latin to French, Turkish

From New Latin to German

From New Latin to Russian

From New Latin to Italian

From New Latin to Spanish

From New Latin to Dutch, Japanese

From New Latin to Arabic

700 BCEAncient Greek

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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