חנקן
Hebrew
| Chemical element | |
|---|---|
| N | |
| Previous: פַּחְמָן (C) | |
| Next: חַמְצָן (O) | |
Etymology
| Root |
|---|
| ח־נ־ק (kh-n-q) |
| 3 terms |
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.
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
חַנְקָן • (khankán) m
- (uncountable) nitrogen (the chemical element (symbol N) with an atomic number of 7 and atomic weight of 14.0067)