oxygen

Word family

• oxygenate
  verbC1
• oxygenated
  adjectiveC1
• oxygenation
  nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Oxygen' names the gas element itself, so it is the right word when you mean the substance living things need for breathing. 'Air' is broader: it is the whole mixture around us, not just oxygen. 'O2' is the chemical symbol and sounds more technical, so you often see it in science class, hospital charts, or equipment labels. 'Medical oxygen' is oxygen prepared for treatment, and 'supplemental oxygen' means extra oxygen given when someone cannot get enough from normal air. A climber may worry about low oxygen at high altitude, but a nurse gives a patient supplemental oxygen through a mask.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word came into English from French 'oxygene' in the late eighteenth century. The French name was built from Greek parts meaning 'sharp' or 'acid' and 'producing', because early chemists wrongly believed this element was the part that made all acids acidic. The science later changed, but the name stayed.