 Early precursors of the word beryllium can be traced to many languages , including Latin Beryllus ; French Béry ; Greek βήρυλλος , bērullos , beryl ; Prakrit veruliya ( वॆरुलिय ‌ ) ; Pāli veḷuriya ( वेलुरिय ) , veḷiru ( भेलिरु ) or viḷar ( भिलर ् ) – " to become pale " , in reference to the pale semiprecious gemstone beryl . The original source is probably the Sanskrit word वैडूर ् य ( vaidurya ) , which is of Dravidian origin and could be related to the name of the modern city of Belur . For about 160 years , beryllium was also known as glucinum or glucinium ( with the accompanying chemical symbol " Gl " , or " G " ) , the name coming from the Greek word for sweet : γλυκυς , due to the sweet taste of beryllium salts . 
