oxygen
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ox·y·gen
(ŏk′sĭ-jən)n. Symbol O
A nonmetallic element constituting 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume that occurs as a diatomic gas, O2, and in many compounds such as water and silica, and in iron ore. It combines with most elements, is essential for plant and animal respiration, and is required for nearly all combustion. Ozone, O3, is an allotrope of this element. Atomic number 8; atomic weight 15.9994; melting point -218.79°C; boiling point -182.9°C; gas density at 0°C 1.429 grams per liter; valence 2. See Periodic Table.
ox′y·gen′ic (-jĕn′ĭk) adj.
ox′y·gen′i·cal·ly adv.
ox·yg′e·nous (ŏk-sĭj′ə-nəs) adj.
Word History: One of the most important substances on earth is misnamed. The word oxygen is the Anglicized form of French oxygène, the name for the element proposed in a work entitled Méthode de nomenclature chimique (1787) by a collaborative of chemists including Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, Louis Bernard de Guyton de Morveau, Claude Louis Berthollet, and Antoine François de Fourcroy. (Oxygen had been discovered a few years before by Joseph Priestley in 1774, and he had called the gas dephlogisticated air.) The same publication also introduced the French words that were soon adopted into English as hydrogen and sodium chloride (common salt), among other terms commonly used in chemistry. The French word oxygène was intended to mean "acid-producing," from the Greek word oxus, "sharp," used in the sense "acid," and the Greek suffix -genes, "born," misinterpreted as "producing." At the time oxygen was thought to be an essential component of an acid. Although this is not the case, the name oxygen has persisted for the element.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
oxygen
(ˈɒksɪdʒən)n
(Elements & Compounds)
a. a colourless odourless highly reactive gaseous element: the most abundant element in the earth's crust (49.2 per cent). It is essential for aerobic respiration and almost all combustion and is widely used in industry. Symbol: O; atomic no: 8; atomic wt: 15.9994; valency: 2; density: 1.429 kg/m3; melting pt: –218.79°C; boiling pt: –182.97°C
b. (as modifier): an oxygen mask.
oxygenic, oxygenous adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ox•y•gen
(ˈɒk sɪ dʒən)n.
a colorless, odorless, gaseous element constituting about one-fifth of the volume of the atmosphere and present in a combined state in nature. Symbol: O; at. wt.: 15.9994; at. no.: 8; density: 1.4290 g/l at 0°C and 760 mm pressure.
[1780–90; < French oxygène (1786), short for principe oxygène acidifying principle; see oxy-1, -gen]
ox`y•gen′ic (-ˈdʒɛn ɪk) ox•yg′e•nous (-ˈsɪdʒ ə nəs) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ox·y·gen
(ŏk′sĭ-jən) Symbol O A nonmetallic element that exists in its free form as a colorless, odorless gas and makes up about 21 percent of the Earth's atmosphere. It is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust and occurs in many compounds, including water, carbon dioxide, and iron ore. Oxygen combines with most elements, is required for combustion, and is essential for life in most organisms. Atomic number 8. See Periodic Table.
Word History In 1786, the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier coined a term for the element oxygen (oxygène in French). He used Greek words for the coinage: oxy- means "sharp," and -gen means "producing." Oxygen was called the "sharp-producing" element because it was thought to be essential for making acids. Lavoisier also coined the name of the element hydrogen, the "water-producing" element, in 1788. Soon after, in 1791, another French chemist, J. A. Chaptal, introduced the word nitrogen, the "niter-producing" element, referring to its discovery from an analysis of nitric acid.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | ![]() chemical element, element - any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter liquid oxygen, LOX - a bluish translucent magnetic liquid obtained by compressing gaseous oxygen and then cooling it below its boiling point; used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants air - a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of; "air pollution"; "a smell of chemicals in the air"; "open a window and let in some air"; "I need some fresh air" H2O, water - binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent gas - a fluid in the gaseous state having neither independent shape nor volume and being able to expand indefinitely ozone - a colorless gas (O3) soluble in alkalis and cold water; a strong oxidizing agent; can be produced by electric discharge in oxygen or by the action of ultraviolet radiation on oxygen in the stratosphere (where it acts as a screen for ultraviolet radiation) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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Spanish / Español
oxygen
[ˈɒksɪdʒən]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
oxygen
(ˈoksidʒən) noun an element, a gas without taste, colour or smell, forming part of the air. He died from lack of oxygen.oxígeno
oxygen mask a mask through which a person can breathe oxygen. mascarilla de oxígeno
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
oxygen
→ oxígenoMultilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
ox·y·gen
n. oxígeno, elemento o gas incoloro e inodoro no metálico que circula libremente en la atmósfera;
___ deficiency → falta de ___;
___ distribution → distribución de ___;
___ treatment → tratamiento de ___;
___ tank → tanque portátil de ___.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
oxygen
n oxígeno; home — oxígeno domiciliario, oxígeno en la casa; hyperbaric — oxígeno hiperbáricoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.