Skip to the word

Added 10 October 2026

halogen

/ˈhæl.ə.d͡ʒən/ noun

In Latin: halogenus Coined: 1842 Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about halogen at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Any element of group 17, i.e. fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine and tennessine.
A light fixture in which the filament is surrounded by an atmosphere of a halogen gas.

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἅλς (háls, “salt" or "sea”) + γεν- (gen-), "to produce" (coined by Berzelius in 1842). By surface analysis, halo- (“salt”) + -gen (“forming”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word