electronegative
|e-lec-tro-neg-a-tive|
/ɪˌlɛktrəˈnɛɡətɪv/
tends to attract electrons
Etymology
'electronegative' originates from combining the prefix 'electro-' (from Greek 'ēlektron' via Latin/New Latin 'electricus') and the Latin word 'negativus' (from 'negare'), where 'ēlektron' meant 'amber' (later associated with electricity) and 'negare' meant 'to deny' or 'negative'.
'electronegative' developed in modern scientific English in the 19th–20th centuries as chemistry and electrical terminology merged; the related noun 'electronegativity' was popularized in the 1930s (notably by Linus Pauling), and the adjective was formed from these elements to describe atoms or groups that attract electrons.
Initially the components referred to 'electric' and 'negative' senses (relating to negative electrical qualities); over time the compound's technical meaning settled on 'tending to attract electrons in a bond' (the modern chemical sense).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
in chemistry: having a tendency to attract electrons toward itself in a chemical bond (high in electronegativity).
Fluorine is the most electronegative element.
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Adjective 2
having or tending toward a negative electric charge (used more generally or in physics contexts).
The particle behaved as if it were electronegative in the field.
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Last updated: 2025/12/03 16:16