The Shocking Origin of the Word “Electric”
“Gilbert employed the Latin electricus to describe the observation that when you rub amber against some substances like wool or a cat’s fur, it sticks to the amber. We now that this clinging—and the zaps that appear between the amber and the substance rubbed against it—is due to static, but at the time, Gilbert supposed amber to be magnetic.”
https://uselessetymology.com/2024/05/31/the-shocking-origin-of-the-word-electric/
#English #Language #Word #Words #Etymology #Linguistics @linguistics
#Image attribution: Benoît Prieur, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://tinyurl.com/374cd39t
@linguistics @bibliolater @spanini
William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elizabeth I, was pretty amazing. He wrote a book on the magnet describing how he discovered many facts about magnetism. He approached it with an experimental mindset rather than philosophical. This was pretty amazing for 1600.
@gdinwiddie @linguistics His most noteable work as you correctly mentioned was ‘De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure’ https://archive.org/details/onloadstonemagne00gilbuoft/
@bibliolater @linguistics
It was through Gilbert's work that I learned of Petrus Peregrinus, whom Gilbert praised for actually experimenting. Petrus never managed to perfect his magnet-driven perpetual motion machine, however.
https://archive.org/details/b24876859