חנקן

Hebrew

Chemical element
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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

  1. nitrogen
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