What does aurous mean?
Aurous is a technical adjective meaning of, relating to, or consisting of gold, and it carries a specific meaning in chemistry: it denotes compounds in which gold exists in its +1 oxidation state. Derived from the Latin word for gold, aurum, it belongs to a family of gold-related terms that also includes auric, which refers instead to gold in its +3 state, and auriferous, meaning gold-bearing. In practice, aurous appears chiefly in scientific writing — names such as aurous chloride and aurous oxide designate particular gold(I) salts — rather than in everyday conversation, where 'golden' serves most descriptive purposes. Its connotations are precise and formal rather than poetic, making it valuable chiefly to chemists, mineralogists, and readers of technical literature who need to distinguish between the different chemical forms gold can take.
adjectiveOf or relating to gold, especially denoting chemical compounds in which gold has a valence of one.
- Denoting gold in its +1 oxidation state in chemical compounds.
- Relating to or consisting of gold.
"The chemist reduced the aurous chloride to metallic gold."
"Early photographers used aurous compounds to sensitize their plates."
"The aurous ion carries a single positive charge."
In chemistry's naming conventions, the suffix tells you how many bonds gold is making — 'aurous' means one, and its sibling 'auric' means three.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aurous
Aurous derives from the Latin 'aurum', meaning gold, combined with the adjectival suffix '-ous'. The same Latin root gives English a cluster of related terms, including auric, aureate, and auriferous, all conveying some connection to gold. The term entered scientific English as chemists developed systematic nomenclature distinguishing compounds by oxidation state, pairing aurous with its counterpart auric.
Related word forms
How aurous is actually used
Primarily a technical term encountered in chemistry and mineralogy; rare in everyday speech, where 'golden' covers most figurative senses of relating to gold.
Easily confused with aurous
Aurous describes gold compounds in which gold has a valence of one (+1), while auric describes those in which gold has a valence of three (+3).