oxygen
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: ŏk'sĭjən
ipa: /ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/
ipa: /ˈɑksɪd͡ʒən/
ipa: /ˈɑksəd͡ʒən/
Forms: form: oxygens
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-der.?
Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús)
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *-os
Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os
Proto-Hellenic *génos
Ancient Greek γένος (génos)
French oxygènebor.
English oxygen
Borrowed from French oxygène (originally in the form principe oxygène, a variant of principe oxigine ‘acidifying principle’, suggested by Lavoisier), from Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp”) + γένος (génos, “birth”), referring to oxygen's supposed role in the formation of acids. By surface analysis, oxy- + -gen.
Senses: synonyms: sourstuff
E948[packaging gas]]>
hypernyms: chalcogen
glosses: The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas.
examples: text: Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light.
ref: 2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist:
glosses: Molecular oxygen (O₂), a colorless, odorless gas at room temperature, also called dioxygen.
topics: medicine
sciences
glosses: A mixture of oxygen and other gases, administered to a patient to help them breathe.
examples: text: Look first at any structure to see if there is a carbon with two oxygens attached. Hemiacetals, hemiketals, acetals, and ketals are all alike in that regard.
ref: 2013, Spencer L. Seager, Michael R. Slabaugh, Chemistry for Today: General, Organic, and Biochemistry, page 479:
glosses: An atom of this element.
examples: text: Silence is the oxygen of shame.
text: They hoped to starve the terrorists of the oxygen of publicity.
text: . I found myself longing for more than two minutes with the girlfriend, the ex-wife, the assistant, the board member, let alone one of the many staff at the house – anyone to de-center a perspective that has already claimed far too much oxygen in the public sphere.
ref: 2025 June 2, Adrian Horton, “Tech-bro satire Mountainhead is an insufferable disappointment”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: A condition or environment in which something can thrive.
Derived terms: alkargen
anoxic
antioxygen
atmospheric oxygen
biochemical oxygen demand
biological oxygen demand
carbogen
carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle
chemical oxygen generator
dioxin
dioxindol
dioxygen
gox
heliox
hyperbaric oxygen chamber
hypoxia
linoxin
liquid oxygen
lox
loxygen
molecular oxygen
nitrox
nonoxygen
nox
octaoxygen
organooxygen
oxamidine
oxo-
oxy-
oxygen-16
oxygen-17
oxygen-18
oxygen bar
oxygen bottle
oxygen burning
oxygen candle
oxygen canister
oxygen catastrophe
oxygen crisis
oxygen cylinder
oxygen debt
oxygen deficit
oxygen demand
oxygen depletion
oxygen difluoride
oxygen fluoride
oxygen gas
oxygen holocaust
oxygenian
oxygenise
oxygenize
oxygen lance
oxygenless
oxygenlike
oxygen mask
oxygenous
oxygen-poor
oxygen pulse
oxygen-rich
oxygen saturation
oxygen stone
oxygen tank
oxygen tent
oxygen therapy
oxygen thief
oxygen toxicity
oxygen waster
peripheral oxygen saturation
potassoxyl
pyridoxine
quit the oxygen habit
radiooxygen
reactive oxygen species
red oxygen
silsesquioxane
singlet oxygen
suck all the oxygen out of
suck the oxygen out of
suck up all the oxygen in
tetraoxygen
theoretical oxygen demand
trioxygen
triplet oxygen
waste of oxygen
Related terms: BSCCO
Entonox
hydroxy-
hydroxyl
oxide
oxo-
oxo
oxygenase
oxygenate
oxygenation
oxylith
oxy-
oxy
oxytocic
ozone
YBCO