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Some browsing lead to this interesting bit of trivia -- nickel means demon or goblin, and originates from miners mistaking the nickel ore for copper ore, callin

Some browsing lead to this interesting bit of trivia -- nickel means demon or goblin, and originates from miners mistaking the nickel ore for copper ore, calling it "goblin's copper". >As early as the 1600s, a dark red ore with a distinct green coating became a notable source of irritation for copper miners in Saxony, Germany. Believing that the dark red substance was an ore of copper, they continued mining it. As the ore was causing ailments, the miners turned to folklore and adopted a belief that it was protected by goblins. This ultimately led to the naming of the ore as “kupfernickel,” translating to “goblin’s copper.” https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/thederm/site/cathlab/event/goblins-copper-time-nickel-directed-us-health-policy-here https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/thederm/site/c... Also, (my speculation) it is the origins of the name of Copernicus.

adhesive_wombat 5y ago
The -nik in Kopernik (the unlatinised name) is not related to the Koper-: it makes it a agent noun in Polish (and other Slavic languages), similar to beatnik, robotnik and Sputnik. It's basically like "-er". The Koper- could relate to copper, or dill (says Wikipedia). Then it would be copper-er or dill-er. Maybe his family once coppered pans or ships or made pickles!
- emmelaich 5y ago
  Yes, I found that after and decided not to spoil my fun. The area around Kopernik is rich in minerals including copper so I'm leading towards copperer. Either a copper miner or one who works with copper.
- ajuc 5y ago
  Copper in Polish is "miedź". If it was borrowed from a foreign language they would use Latin not English (there's almost no English loandwords in Polish at the time) so it would be cuprum. Or they could use German - so Kupfer. In any case the second vowel would be "u". So "Kopernik" name is probably related to the dill plant (koper).

adhesive_wombat 5y ago

The -nik in Kopernik (the unlatinised name) is not related to the Koper-: it makes it a agent noun in Polish (and other Slavic languages), similar to beatnik, robotnik and Sputnik. It's basically like "-er". The Koper- could relate to copper, or dill (says Wikipedia). Then it would be copper-er or dill-er. Maybe his family once coppered pans or ships or made pickles!

emmelaich 5y ago
Yes, I found that after and decided not to spoil my fun. The area around Kopernik is rich in minerals including copper so I'm leading towards copperer. Either a copper miner or one who works with copper.
ajuc 5y ago
Copper in Polish is "miedź". If it was borrowed from a foreign language they would use Latin not English (there's almost no English loandwords in Polish at the time) so it would be cuprum. Or they could use German - so Kupfer. In any case the second vowel would be "u". So "Kopernik" name is probably related to the dill plant (koper).