An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The most abundant → chemical element in the Universe. Symbol H; → atomic number 1; → atomic weight 1.00794; → melting point -259.14°C; → boiling point -252.87°C.
It was discovered by the English physicist Henry Cavendish in 1766, who called it the “inflammable air.”

See also:
→ antihydrogen, → atomic hydrogen, → heavy hydrogen, → hydrogen bond, → hydrogen burning, → hydrogen coma, → hydrogen cyanide, → hydrogen fusion, → hydrogen ion, → hydrogen line, → hydrogen shell burning, → hydrogenate, → hydrogenation, → hydrogenize, → ionized hydrogen region, → metallic hydrogen, → molecular hydrogen, → neutral hydrogen, → orthohydrogen, → parahydrogen, → triatomic hydrogen molecular ion.

See also: Hydrogen, from Fr. hydrogène, from Gk. hydro-, combining form of hydor “water” → hydro-

• Fr. -gène “producing,” → -gen;
  coined in 1787 by the French chemist Guyton de Morveau (1737-1816) because it forms water when exposed to oxygen.