oxygen
Pronunciation: /ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/
The English word “oxygen” has 5 meanings listed here.
noun
- 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. Sometimes called elemental oxygen to distinguish it from molecular oxygen.
- Molecular oxygen (O₂), a colorless, odorless gas at room temperature.
- A mixture of oxygen and other gases, administered to a patient to help them breathe.
- An atom of this element.
- A condition or environment in which something can thrive.
Etymology
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.
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.