Question

Which metal, discovered in 1751, takes its name from the abbreviation of the German term for Devil's Copper?

Answer 1

The name Nickel derives from an abbreviation of the German word 'kupfernickel' meaning "Devil's copper". In German 'Kupfer' means copper and 'Nickel' means devil. The German word 'Nickel' was a form of the name Nicholas, a term commonly associated with the devil which is why "Old Nick" is a familiar name for Satan. The metal was originally named by German miners who believed that the devil had changed or contaminated this strange ore, turning it into a less valuable and harder to work metal than valuable copper. The name was given by the chemist Axel von Cronstedt (1722-1765) who discovered the element.