The precious metal named after the Spanish for “little silver” is platinum.
The name comes from Spanish platina, meaning “little silver,” a diminutive of plata, “silver.” Spanish explorers encountered platinum in Colombia and initially considered its pale, stubborn metal a troublesome impurity mixed with gold.
European scientists gradually recognized platinum as a distinct element. Antonio de Ulloa reported on the metal after returning from South America in the 1740s, helping introduce it to European science. Platinum is now element 78, symbol Pt, and belongs to the platinum-group metals.
“Little silver” does not mean platinum is a form of silver: platinum is denser, far rarer, and highly resistant to corrosion. Its modern uses include jewelry, catalytic converters, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts, and certain cancer drugs such as cisplatin.