An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A whitish, malleable, metallic → chemical element; symbol Ba. → Atomic number 56; → atomic weight 137.33; → melting point 725°C; → boiling point 1,640°C; → specific gravity 3.5 at 20°C. Barium was discovered by the Swedish pharmacist and chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1774. It was first isolated by the British chemist Humphry Davy in 1808.

See also: From Mod.L., from Gk. barys “heavy,” from the mineral barytes “heavy spar” (BaSO₄),
in which the element was discovered; cognate with Pers. bâr “weight,” → bar.