noun, masculine/ɔk.si.ʒɛn/plural: oxygènes
oxygen; an atom or a nucleus of oxygen in a molecule
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 oxygène From Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp, sour, acid”) + γένος (génos, “birth”). Coined by French nobleman and chemist Antoine Lavoisier in 1778 under the mistaken assumption that it was a constituent of all acids.