A toxic chemical element with the symbol As, occurring naturally in many minerals. It has been used historically as a poison and in various industrial applications, though its toxicity limits modern uses.
From Old French arsenic, from Latin arsenicum, borrowed from Greek ἀρσενικόν (arsenikón). The Greek word came from Arabic الزرنيخ (al-zarnīkh), which was borrowed from Persian زرنیخ (zarnīkh), ultimately from Middle Persian. The element was known in ancient times through mining and metallurgy in Central and South Asia.
Arsenic was called 'the king of poisons' in medieval times, but it was actually first discovered and named by Persian alchemists who were trying to make gold - they called it 'zarnīkh' meaning 'gold-colored'! The word traveled from Persian through Arabic and Greek to Latin, carrying with it centuries of alchemical knowledge about this deadly but useful element.
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