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 February 7, 2011
 
Word of the Week--"platinum"
Definition--chem (symbol Pt, atomic number 78) a silvery-white, corrosive-resistant, precious metallic element used to make jewelery, coins, electrical components, dentistry, thermocouples, and as a catalyst.
Discussion--Platinum occurs in ultramafic rocks, quartz veins, and in placers. It was discovered in the middle of the eighteenth century and proven an element of its own by Scheffer. Though it is a ductile and malleable material, it has a high density, nearly double that of lead. It is also very expensive and is sometimes thought of as the next in the
series silver, gold, and platinum.
Etymology--The term platinum is borrowed from the Spanish platina, a diminitive of plata, meaning silver. Platinum was so dubbed because of its resemblance to silver.
The languages below all display similar roots. Foreign Translations German:
Platin (nt)
Dutch:
platina
French:
platine (m)
Italian:
platino
Spanish:
platino
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