dephlogisticated air

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English

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Etymology

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From dephlogisticated (from which the phlogiston has been removed) +‎ air, coined by the English chemist Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) in a 1775 article entitled “An Account of Further Discoveries in Air” published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: see the quotation.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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dephlogisticated air (uncountable)

  1. (chemistry, historical) oxygen gas, as originally thought to be air deprived of phlogiston (the hypothetical fiery principle formerly assumed to be a necessary constituent of combustible bodies and to be given up by them in burning). [from 1775]
    Synonym: dephlogisticated gas
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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Compare “dephlogisticated air, n.” under dephlogisticate, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2022.

Further reading

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