Chlor

/klɔr/ noun

Definition

A combining form or prefix derived from chlorine or relating to green color, used extensively in chemical nomenclature.

Etymology

From Greek chloros (green), the element chlorine was named chlor- because its gas appears greenish-yellow. The prefix is now used across chemistry to denote chlorine-containing compounds or to reference greenness.

Kelly Says

Chlorine's name literally means 'green' in Greek because when Humphry Davy first isolated it in 1810, he saw that distinctive greenish-yellow gas and named it accordingly—a rare case where an element's name directly describes what you see.

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