Definition:Potassium/Linguistic Note

Linguistic Note on Potassium

The word potassium derives from the word potash, from which potassium was first extracted.

Potash is a general name for the salts of potassium, manufactured in pre-industrial times from the ash of plants, processed in a pot.

Its symbol $\text K$ derives from the neo-Latin kalium, itself deriving from the Arabic word القَلْيَه‎ (al-qalyah) meaning plant ashes.