What is the etymology of the elements in the periodic table?
Like any discipline of science, chemistry has its own nomenclature or system of naming. Most of the available etymological information can be obtained from a dictionary or a chemical handbook, but neither points out the fact that there are many similarities and trends among the names. For example, many people immediately notice that a few elements are named after famous scientists. What they may not realize, however, is that a few elements are named after prominent mythological figures, too.
To illustrate these patterns better, below file has grouped the elements in some categories according to the origins of their names.