Where does “oxygen” come from?
Oxygen comes from French oxygène, derived from Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, sharp), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ-.
oxygen (English): The chemical element with an atomic number of 8...
Definitions
- The chemical element with an atomic number of 8...
Ancestry of “oxygen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | oxygène | oxygen; inflection of oxygéner:
##... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | γένος | offspring, descendant; family, clan; nation, race |
| 3 | Proto-Hellenic | génos | family; race |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁os | race, lineage |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
Words derived from “oxygen”