• ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    2 months ago

    why did they stop at “aluminum”? why don’t they have “magnesum”, “barum”, or “radum”?

    why don’t nfl games take place in a “stadum”? why is the size between small and large not a “medum”?

    either their table salt ahould contain sodum or their treatment of aluminium is so dumb.

    • Stovetop@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      2 months ago

      I guess ask the Romans about half of those.

      The last time I saw a TIL about this sort of thing though it turned out that “Aluminum” was the original but some academics thought “Aluminium” sounded fancier. My understanding is that it relates to the oxide names, which in the case of aluminum is alumina, after which the -a is swapped for the -um, similar to how magnesium oxide is magnesia. But I’m too lazy to fact check.

      Also Molybdenum exists too, so it’s not like Aluminum would be the one exception that is just -um and not -ium.