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The ancient Greek concept of four basic elements, these being earth (γῆ gê), water (ὕδωρ hýdōr), air (ἀήρ aḗr), and fire (πῦρ pŷr), dates from pre-Socratic times and persisted throughout the Middle Ages and into the Early modern period, deeply influencing European thought and culture.
In 1842, a new “element” was discovered called didymium, from the Greek for "twin," so named because it was always accompanied with cerium and lanthanum (and possibly because the namer had two ...
Indeed, the element was once also known as glucinum or glucinium, derived from the Ancient Greek word for “sweet.” However, clarity is key when the substance in question is also poisonous.
Our table of element name origins covers all elements. Each entry has a full citation identifying its source.
The ancient Greek word for element (stoicheion) literally meant "letter (of the alphabet)", the basic unit from which a word is formed. Plato mentions the elements as of pre-Socratic origin, a list created by the Ionian philosopher Empedocles (ca. 450 BC).
Air or Wind is one of the four classical elements along with water, earth and fire in ancient Greek philosophy and in Western alchemy. Greek and Roman tradition. The four humors and their qualities. According to Plato, it is associated with the octahedron; air is considered to be both hot and wet.
One answer is that the ancient Greeks, specifically Plato, devised the term "element". Quoting from wikipedia article on Classical elements: Plato seems to have been the first to use the term "element (στοιχεῖον, stoicheion)" in reference to air, fire, earth, and water.