and here are two references:
http://www.etymonline.com/
http://www.eoht.info/page/
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Question
The word "gas"
(Not flatus)
According to Wikipedia, the word "gas" was not coined until the 17th century. But surely the concept predates then, and so, surely there must have been a different word used for it. But what was that word?
(Bit of a silly question I know, but I'm interested...)
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Answers
IMHO, there's 2 possibilities. Either people fail to distinguish (i.e. cannot perceive) between things they don't have names for or they can distinguish between them but it isn't important to them to do so...at least enough to give a word to it, hence there was a time when everything could be one of four elements. There's a little rap on the limited use of color in ancient Greece at http://serendip.brynmawr.e
I think the most recent research (although I can't cite a source) is that people have no problem distinguishing between things they can't name (i.e. they can perceive the difference), it is just that the distinction doesn't merit a name.
I'm in chaos almost every day...........if that is what it means.
Here are synonyms of gas (mean the same thing) so some of these words could have origins before it turned up in the 17th century:
effluvium, fumes, miasma, smoke, stream, vapor
how about since the beginning of the earth:
http://www.livescience.com
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by: danieldrPosted on 2009-02-26 at 04:28:16ID: 23743869
it comes from the latin word "chaos"