Science & Nature · 3
The name of which element hides a pun on its discoverer's own surname, since Lecoq means 'rooster' in French, matching the Latin 'gallus'?
Answer
Gallium
Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran named his 1875 discovery gallium, ostensibly after Gaul, but many historians note the name also cleverly echoes his surname via the Latin word for rooster, gallus.
💡 Did you know?
Gallium was named after Gaul (ancient France) using a clever Latin pun: the discoverer's own name, Lecoq, means 'rooster' in French—gallus in Latin.
Other options people guess
- Curium
- Berkelium
- Einsteinium
Topics
- chemistry
- periodic-table
- etymology
- wordplay
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