From Greek 'ēlektron' (ἤλεκτρον, amber) — because rubbing amber creates static charge. William Gilbert coined Latin 'electricus' in 1600; Thomas Browne first wrote 'electricity' in 1646. Every 'electr-' word in English, including the electron itself, is named after fossilized tree resin.
A form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (electrons or protons), either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current.
From New Latin 'electricus' (meaning 'like amber, producing static electricity'), coined by William Gilbert in 'De Magnete' (1600) from Latin 'electrum', from Greek 'ēlektron' (ἤλεκτρον), meaning 'amber'. The ancient Greeks had discovered that rubbing amber with fur attracted light objects — the first recorded observation of static electricity, attributed to Thales of Miletus (c. 600 BCE). Gilbert needed a word for this amber-like attractive force, so he derived 'electricus' from the
Every word beginning with 'electr-' in English — electron, electrode, electrolyte, electrocute, electronics, electromagnetic — traces back to the Greek word for amber, a fossilized tree resin. The subatomic particle (electron, named by George Johnstone Stoney in 1891) is literally named 'the amber thing.' And 'electrocute' is a portmanteau of 'electro-' + 'execute,' coined in 1889 specifically for death by electric chair — making it one of the few words in English