oxygen
Plural: oxygens
Noun
- A colorless, odorless, gaseous element essential for life.
- a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
- 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.
- Molecular oxygen (O₂), a colorless, odorless gas at room temperature, also called dioxygen.
- 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.
Examples
- Playing OXYGEN felt like a breath of fresh air, securing a major score.
- Silence is the oxygen of shame.
- They hoped to starve the terrorists of the oxygen of publicity.
Origin / 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.
Synonyms
atomic number 8, O, E948[packaging gas]]>, sourstuff
Scrabble Score: 17
oxygen: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordoxygen: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
oxygen: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary