Re: Why is Avogadro's number called the mole?

We got to "mole" from "molecule" because people, being human, like to 
abbreviate. In fact, I think the original term was something like 
"molecule-equivalent," so you can see that the urge to abbreviate must have been 
strong!

I suspect that the word "mole" came from the three-letter abbreviation "mol". It 
has no more to do with a small furry burrowing mammal than that spot of pigment 
on Greta Garbo's cheek.

                                            Dan Berger
                                            MadSci Administrator