The function  was first introduced by Wu (1952) and has acquired the widely used name rothalpy.
This quantity is commonly called rothalpy, a compound word combining the terms rotation and enthalpy. However, its construction does not conform to the established rules for formation of new words in the English language, namely, that the roots of the new word originate from the same language. The word trothalpy satisfies this requirement as trohos is the Greek root for wheel and enthalpy is to put heat in, whereas rotation is derived from Latin rotare.