gallium

/ˈɡæliəm/

gallium

English Noun

Definition

A chemical element (symbol Ga) with an atomic number of 31; a soft bluish metal.

Etymology

Named by its discoverer Lecoq, after Latin Gallia (“Gaul”). It was claimed that Lecoq had named the element after himself, since gallus is the Latin translation of the French le coq, but Lecoq denied this in an article of 1877.