selenium

Meaning

Noun

• A nonmetallic chemical element (symbol Se) with an atomic number of 34, used mainly in glassmaking and pigments and as a semiconductor.
• A single atom of this element.

Origin

• From French sélénium, the name coined by Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1818 from Ancient Greek σελήνη in reference to original confusion with the similar element tellurium.