Arsenous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Containing arsenic in a trivalent form, as in certain chemical compounds of the element
2. Describing a substance that includes arsenic, particularly in its lower oxidation state
3. Relating to or made with arsenic in a particular chemical combination with lower valence

Etymology: "Arsenous" is simply "arsenic" with the ending "-ous" added, the same suffix found in words like "nervous" and "famous," and its meaning follows directly: it describes something containing some arsenic. The suffix comes from Latin "-osus," which means "full of," so the adjective literally says "full of arsenic" in its chemical sense. The more interesting story lies in "arsenic" itself. The name traces back to Persian "zarnik," meaning "yellow orpiment," a yellow mineral of arsenic sulfide. It passed through Syriac and Arabic, where it became "al-zarnikh," and Medieval Greek then reshaped it into "arsenikon," which was connected by folk association to the Greek word "arsen," meaning "male" or "strong," because the substance was considered powerful. Latin borrowed it as "arsenicum," and English took it through Middle French in the Middle English period.

Synonyms: arsenious