The term "nucleus" comes from the Latin word "nucleus," which means "kernel" or "core." It was first used to describe the central part of a atomic structure by British physicist Ernest Rutherford in 1911. Rutherford proposed that an atom consists of a small, dense, and positively charged nucleus orbited by negatively charged electrons. The name "nucleus" was chosen because it represents the central core of an atom, much like the kernel of a fruit or nut.
