Wadi El Natrun
The English and German word "natron" is a French cognate derived from the Spanish "natrón" through Latin "natrium" and Greek "nitron" (). This derives from the Ancient Egyptian word "nṯrj". "Natron" refers to Wadi El Natrun or Natron Valley in Egypt, from which natron was mined by the ancient Egyptians for use in burial rites. The modern chemical symbol for sodium, Na, is an abbreviation of that element's New Latin name "natrium", which was derived from "natron".