Zincous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Containing zinc with a valence of two, as in compounds where zinc has lost two electrons
2. Composed of or relating to zinc in its divalent form, commonly found in chemical compounds and industrial applications
3. Characterized by the presence of zinc in the plus-two oxidation state, typical of many zinc salts and minerals

Etymology: Zinc itself was a late arrival in European metalwork. The metal was known in India and China for centuries before Europeans had a name for it, and when the word "zinc" entered European languages it was borrowed from the German "Zink," whose origin is debated. Adding "-ous" to zinc produces "zincous," a plain adjective meaning made of zinc or containing it, the same suffix that turns "gold" into "golden" in spirit and "copper" into "cupreous" in technical chemistry. The word is a straightforward formation rather than a coinage with a famous author. Its parts are simply the noun "zinc" and the adjectival suffix "-ous," borrowed through Latin and French from Latin "-osus," meaning "full of." So "zincous" literally means "full of zinc," which is exactly how chemists use it when describing zinc compounds or zinc-bearing materials.

Synonyms: zincic, zincky