Dutch words for hydrogen and oxygen

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    Hydrogen Oxygen
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the etymology of the Dutch words for hydrogen (waterstof) and oxygen (zuurstof), exploring their meanings and implications in relation to their chemical properties. Participants also touch on the names of other elements and their linguistic roots, making connections between language and science.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that "waterstof" translates to "water-stuff," while "zuurstof" translates to "acid-stuff," questioning the appropriateness of these terms given the properties of the elements.
  • Another participant points out that the Latin origins of the words for oxygen and hydrogen reflect their historical meanings as "acid creator" and "water creator," respectively, suggesting that the chemistry was understood differently at the time of naming.
  • A later reply acknowledges the significance of the suffixes and prefixes in the names, indicating a realization about their linguistic roots.
  • Additional posts humorously extend the discussion to other elements, such as nitrogen ("suffocating-stuff") and carbon ("coal-stuff"), highlighting a playful exploration of etymology.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement on the historical meanings of the terms while also presenting differing views on the appropriateness of these names in relation to modern chemistry. The discussion remains somewhat unresolved as it explores various interpretations and humorous observations.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not delve into the specifics of chemical properties or definitions, focusing instead on the linguistic aspects and historical context of the element names.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in the intersection of language and science, etymology, or the historical development of chemical nomenclature may find this discussion engaging.

Jack21222
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So, I was just fooling around on Google Translate, and I decided to translate from Dutch to English for no good reason. I typed in hydrogen, and got back waterstof.

Water-stuff! Or alternatively, water-dust, or water-material.

So, I thought to myself "Hey, oxygen is also in water. Let's translate oxygen."

Oxygen = zuurstof

Interesting... what does zuur mean? ACID! Oxygen is "acid-stuff" and hydrogen is "water-stuff." Those sound completely backwards to me, because oxygen has little to nothing to do with acid as far as I know, while hydrogen donation practically defines an acid.

Those crazy Dutch...
 
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The words Oxygen and Hydrogen have the same meaning - i.e. acid creator and water creator in Latin, respectively. Only difference is that their names were translated into Dutch and German, whereas English retained the Latin name.

The discovery that the chemistry actually works differently was long after the names were established.
 
sfs01 said:
The words Oxygen and Hydrogen have the same meaning - i.e. acid creator and water creator in Latin, respectively. Only difference is that their names were translated into Dutch and German, whereas English retained the Latin name.

The discovery that the chemistry actually works differently was long after the names were established.

Ah hah! Of course! I didn't even pay attention to the -gen suffix. Nor the hydro- prefix to be honest...

I swear, if the hard sciences didn't have me firmly by the soul, I'd study the evolution of language.
 
Nitrogen is "suffocating-stuff" :biggrin:
 
Finally Carbon is "Coal-stuff" :rolleyes:
 
Germanium is "German-stuff"

And you know they make the best stuff
[PLAIN]http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/4852/shamwowdz6.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Gold is expensive-stuff, aurum and legume.
 

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