Atmophiles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Chemical elements that tend to concentrate in the air and gaseous envelope of a planet rather than in its rock or metal
2. Elements, such as nitrogen and the noble gases, that are found mainly in the atmosphere instead of in solid rock or molten metal
3. Substances that preferentially accumulate in a planet's atmosphere, as opposed to being locked into its crust or core

Etymology: "Atmophiles" is the plural of "atmophile", a term built from "atmo-", from Greek "atmos" meaning "vapour" or "steam", and "-phile", from Greek "philos" meaning "loving" or "friend". Combined, the base word describes something that loves or thrives in vapour or air, and the plural refers to more than one such thing. The "atmo-" element is the more informative part here: it carries the older sense of "vapour" rather than the modern sense of the whole envelope of air around the planet. Writers forming scientific compounds in the modern period drew on Greek roots in this way, so the word reflects deliberate construction from classical building blocks rather than an ancient coinage.