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oxygen

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Oxygen

English

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Chemical element (edit)
O
Atomic number 8
oxygen
Classification data
Period 2
Group 16
Block p-block
Class nonmetal
Previous: ← nitrogen (N)
Next: fluorine (F) →
English Wikipedia article on Oxygen

Etymology

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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.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    English Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia

    oxygen (countable and uncountable, plural oxygens)

    2. (chemistry) 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.
      Synonyms: (rare) sourstuff, (when used as a packaging gas) E948
      Hypernyms: chalcogen < element
      Holonyms: dioxygen, O₂, oxygen (loose sense)
      By molar fraction, calcium oxide contains equal parts calcium and oxygen.
    4. (loose but very common, even in formal use) Molecular oxygen (O2), a colorless, odorless gas at room temperature.
      Synonyms: dioxygen, O₂
      Meronym: oxygen (strict sense)
      About 21% of the air you breathe is oxygen.
      • 2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist‎[1], archived from the original on 3 September 2013:
        Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light.
      • 2020 August 20, Eliezer Brand, “ICE is forcing Muslims to eat pork. My fellow Orthodox Jews: This is our fight!”, in The Forward‎[2], archived from the original on 24 October 2020:
        Just like eating halal is not a choice for our Muslim brothers and sisters, for us, eating kosher is not voluntary; it’s who we are and as necessary as the oxygen we need for sustenance.
    5. (medicine) A mixture of oxygen and other gases, administered to a patient to help them breathe.
    6. (countable) An atom of this element.
      • 2013, Spencer L. Seager, Michael R. Slabaugh, Chemistry for Today: General, Organic, and Biochemistry, page 479:
        Look first at any structure to see if there is a carbon with two oxygens attached. Hemiacetals, hemiketals, acetals, and ketals are all alike in that regard.
      • 2014, Theodore Gray, photography by Nick Mann, Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything, 2018 Paperback Edition, page 65:
        Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid is a long name for a long molecule. The ring on the left contributes the “benzene” part of the name, and the sulfur atom with three oxygens bonded to it contributes the “sulfonic acid” part.
    7. (figurative) A condition or environment in which something can thrive.
      Silence is the oxygen of shame.
      They hoped to starve the terrorists of the oxygen of publicity.
      • 2025 June 2, Adrian Horton, “Tech-bro satire Mountainhead is an insufferable disappointment”, in The Guardian‎[3], →ISSN, archived from the original on 23 July 2025:
        I found myself longing for more than two minutes with the girlfriend, the ex-wife, the assistant, the board member, let alone one of the many staff at the house – anyone to de-center a perspective that has already claimed far too much oxygen in the public sphere.
      • 2026 September 21, Peter Baker, quoting Mark McKinnon, “Trump Faces the Sting of a Media Boycott After Press Pool Withdrawal”, in The New York Times‎[4], →ISSN:
        “Attention is Trump’s oxygen,” said Mark McKinnon, who was a media consultant for President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona.

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → Burmese: အောက်ဆီဂျင် (aukhcigyang)
    • → Hawaiian: ʻokikene

    Translations

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    See also

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    References

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    Danish

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    Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia da
    Chemical element (edit)
    O
    Atomic number 8
    oxygen
    Alternative names: ilt
    Classification data
    Period 2
    Group 16
    Block p-block
    Class nonmetal
    Previous: ← kvælstof, nitrogen (N)
    Next: fluor (F) →

    Etymology

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    From Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús) +‎ -gen.

    Noun

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    oxygen n (singular definite oxygenet or oxygenen, not used in plural form)

    1. oxygen
      Synonym: ilt

    Declension

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    Declension of oxygen
    neuter
    gender     		singular
    indefinite definite
    nominative oxygen oxygenet
    oxygenen
    genitive oxygens oxygenets
    oxygenens

    References

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    German

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    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    oxygen (strong nominative masculine singular oxygener, not comparable)

    1. (chemistry) oxygenic
      Antonym: anoxygen
      oxygene Photosynthese ― oxygenic photosynthesis

    Declension

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    Positive forms of oxygen (uncomparable)
    number & gender singular plural
    masculine feminine neuter
    predicative er ist oxygen sie ist oxygen es ist oxygen sie sind oxygen
    strong declension
    (without article)     		nominative oxygener oxygene oxygenes oxygene
    genitive oxygenen oxygener oxygenen oxygener
    dative oxygenem oxygener oxygenem oxygenen
    accusative oxygenen oxygene oxygenes oxygene
    weak declension
    (with definite article)     		nominative der oxygene die oxygene das oxygene die oxygenen
    genitive des oxygenen der oxygenen des oxygenen der oxygenen
    dative dem oxygenen der oxygenen dem oxygenen den oxygenen
    accusative den oxygenen die oxygene das oxygene die oxygenen
    mixed declension
    (with indefinite article)     		nominative ein oxygener eine oxygene ein oxygenes (keine) oxygenen
    genitive eines oxygenen einer oxygenen eines oxygenen (keiner) oxygenen
    dative einem oxygenen einer oxygenen einem oxygenen (keinen) oxygenen
    accusative einen oxygenen eine oxygene ein oxygenes (keine) oxygenen
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    Swedish

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from French oxygène.

    Noun

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    oxygen n

    1. (rare) oxygen
      Synonyms: syre, syrgas
      • 2022 December 7, Inga Korsbäck, “Ökade lager av syrgas på sjukhusen i Västmanland – insåg behovet under pandemin [Increased stocks of oxygen at the hospitals in Västmanland - realized the need during the pandemic.]”, in Sveriges Radio P4:
        När pandemin tog fart våren 2020 var Region Västmanlands beredskap god när det gäller medicinska gaser som syrgas (oxygen). Redan i april 2020 fanns en extra tank flytande oxygen på plats på sjukhusområdet i Västerås och man klarar i dag Socialstyrelsens skärpta krav.
        When the pandemic gained momentum in the spring of 2020, Region Västmanland's preparedness was good concerning medical gases like oxygen. Already in April 2020, there was an additional tank of liquid oxygen in place at the hospital area in Västerås, and today they meet the stricter requirements set by the National Board of Health and Welfare.

    Usage notes

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    • The term oxygen is rarely used; it primarily appears on gas tubes and canisters for international standardization, as well as a safety precaution to minimize the risk of confusing syre (“oxygen”) with syra (“acid”).
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