חנקן
Hebrew
| Chemical element | |
|---|---|
| N | Previous: פַּחְמָן (C) |
| Next: חַמְצָן (O) | |
Etymology
| Root |
|---|
| ח־נ־ק |
Originally coined by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda as *אב־חנק, and later modified to its current form by Yechiel Michal Pinkes. So called because nitrogen gas chokes fire, i.e. doesn't let it burn; thus, a calque of other languages' terms, like French azote.
Noun
חַנְקָן • (khankán) m
- nitrogen