חנקן

Hebrew

Chemical element
N
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Etymology

Root
ח־נ־ק (kh-n-q)

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

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Noun

חַנְקָן • (khankán) m

1. (uncountable) nitrogen (the chemical element (symbol N) with an atomic number of 7 and atomic weight of 14.0067)