oxygen

B1 Topic:Science & Research

US /ˈɑk.sɪ.d͡ʒən/ UK /ˈɒk.sɪ.d͡ʒən/ See IPA manual

Freq #3536

Meanings

1

noun
A colourless, odourless gas that humans and animals need to breathe and that makes up part of the air.

Climbers carry bottles of oxygen to breathe high up on the mountain.
2

noun
The chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8.

Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen.
3

noun
Something that allows an idea or situation to survive and grow.

Constant media attention gave the scandal the oxygen it needed to spread.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a colourless, odourless gas... dioxygen

2 noun · the chemical element with... sourstuff

Word family

Forms oxygens

Derived forms alkargenanoxicantioxygencarbogendioxindioxindoldioxygengoxhelioxhypoxialinoxinlox

Related forms bsccoentonoxhydroxy-hydroxyloxideoxooxo-oxy oxy-oxygenaseoxygenateoxygenation

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.

oxygène French ὀξύς Ancient Greek *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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# oxygen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɑk.sɪ.d͡ʒən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɒk.sɪ.d͡ʒən/
**Frequency rank:** 3536

## Meanings
1. A colourless, odourless gas that humans and animals need to breathe and that makes up part of the air.
2. The chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8.
3. Something that allows an idea or situation to survive and grow.

## Examples
- Climbers carry bottles of oxygen to breathe high up on the mountain.
- Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen.
- Constant media attention gave the scandal the oxygen it needed to spread.

## Derived Forms
- alkargen
- anoxic
- antioxygen
- carbogen
- dioxin
- dioxindol
- dioxygen
- gox
- heliox
- hypoxia
- linoxin
- lox

## Related Forms
- bscco
- entonox
- hydroxy-
- hydroxyl
- oxide
- oxo
- oxo-
- oxy
- oxy-
- oxygenase
- oxygenate
- oxygenation

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: oxygène
- Root: ὀξύς
- Root: *h₂eḱ-

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Oxygen was 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. Modern senses include a colourless, odourless gas that humans and animals need to breathe and that makes up part of the air and the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. The wider word family includes derivatives such as alkargen, anoxic, antioxygen, carbogen, dioxin, and dioxindol and related forms such as bscco, entonox, hydroxy-, and hydroxyl.

## Topics
- Science & Research
- Materials & Substances

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oxygen

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