antimony

The word 'antimony' entered English in the 15th century via Old French 'antimoine', from Medieval Latin 'antimonium'. Its ultimate origin is obscure but is often traced to the Greek 'anti' (against) and 'monos' (alone), based on a spurious alchemical fable that the metal never occurs in its pure state. A more plausible theory suggests it derives from the Egyptian 'stm', a name for a type of eye cosmetic, which passed into Greek and Arabic before its Latin adaptation. The modern chemical symbol Sb comes from its Latin name, 'stibium', which shares the same Egyptian root.

The word 'antimony' is a simplex loanword. Its spelling and form do not allow for segmentation into meaningful, productive morphemes within the English language system.