bibliolater ,
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

The Shocking Origin of the Word “Electric”

Gilbert employed the Latin electricus to describe the observation that when you rub amber against some substances like wool or a cat’s fur, it sticks to the amber. We now that this clinging—and the zaps that appear between the amber and the substance rubbed against it—is due to static, but at the time, Gilbert supposed amber to be magnetic.

https://uselessetymology.com/2024/05/31/the-shocking-origin-of-the-word-electric/

@linguistics

attribution: Benoît Prieur, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ampoule_et_filament_%C3%A0Alchimie3.0%C3%A0Rillieux-la-Pape(octobre_2021).jpg

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • [email protected]
  • kbinchat
  • All magazines