Oxygen

Oxygen

Noun · /ˈɒksɪdʒən/ · the chemical element essential to life and combustion

Definition

A colourless, odourless, reactive gas that makes up approximately twenty-one percent of the Earth's atmosphere and is essential for the respiration of most living organisms and for combustion.

Origin

Coined in 1777 by French chemist Antoine Lavoisier from Greek oxys (sharp, acid) + -genes (producer). Lavoisier mistakenly believed oxygen was a necessary component of all acids.