halogen
/ˈhæl.ə.d͡ʒən/ noun
Forms halogens
- noun (chemistry) Any element of group 17, i.e. fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine and tennessine.
- noun A light fixture in which the filament is surrounded by an atmosphere of a halogen gas.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἅλς (háls, “salt" or "sea”) + γεν- (gen-), "to produce" (coined by Berzelius in 1842). By surface analysis, halo- (“salt”) + -gen (“forming”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An electro-negative element or radical, which, by combination with a metal, forms a haloid salt; especially, chlorine, bromine, and iodine; sometimes, also, fluorine and cyanogen. See Chlorine family, under Chlorine.
Etymology [Gr. "a`ls, "alo`s, salt + -gen: cf. F. halogène.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “halogen”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details