Oxymuriatique

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to oxymuriatic acid, an outdated chemical name for what is now called chlorine
2. Describing a substance connected with oxymuriatic acid, the old term for the gas now known as chlorine
3. Of or pertaining to the obsolete chemical category of oxymuriatic acid, which is chlorine in modern terms

Etymology: Chemists working in French set the term for the greenish-yellow gas they obtained from sea salt. They believed it contained oxygen, so they built its name from "oxy-," the Greek-derived prefix they used for oxygen, and "muriatique," from Latin "muria," brine. The result described an acid made from brine and oxygen. That belief was wrong. Humphry Davy later showed that the gas contained no oxygen and was an element in its own right. He named it chlorine, from the Greek "chloros," meaning pale green, after its colour. The older name lingered in English chemistry books, but it had become a relic of a mistaken theory.