From the German word wissmuth meaning white mass and the latin word bisemutum.
As with arsenic and antimony, it is difficult to say who exactly discovered bismuth. The name bismuth was probably taken from two German words, weisse masse, meaning white mass.. The phrase describes how the element appears in nature. Later the name was shortened to wismuth, and then to bisemutum, before bismuth came into common use. It came from the German words 'Wisuth Bisemutum', meaning 'white mass'. Quick Facts: Bismuth gets its name from the German word wissmuth meaning white mass and the latin word bisemutum. Often confused with tin and lead due to its resemblance to those elements. Bismuth was utilised in ancient times by the Egyptians, Greeks, Asians, Romans and Chinese. The name bismuth is probably a latinized version of the old German word for bismuth ‘weissmuth’ meaning ‘white substance’, possibly named after its white oxide. A cube of bismuth sits between two bismuth plates. A large neodymium magnet is held above the plates and cube. The name bismuth was probably taken from two German words, weisse masse, meaning white mass.. The phrase describes how the element appears in nature. Later the name was shortened to wismuth, and then to bisemutum, before bismuth came into common use. A french man named Claude Geoffroy of 1753 in France     Bismuth has been known since prehistoric times, though it was often  confused with tin and/or lead sinc … e it has somewhat similar  properties. Name: As chemical element Bismuth was officially discovered in 1753 by French scientist Claude Geoffroy. The origin of the name comes from the German words Weisse Masse meaning white mass.
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where did the name bismuth come from