Etymology

oxygen

O1X8Y4G2E1N1

Today it means: 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. Full definition →

French oxygène ← Ancient Greek γένος (génos) ← Proto-Hellenic *génos
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱ-der.?
  2. Ancient Greekὀξύς (oxús)
  3. Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁os
  5. Proto-Hellenic*génos
  6. Ancient Greekγένος (génos)
  7. Frenchoxygène
  8. English todayoxygen

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.

Words from the same roots

Frenchoxygène all →

oxy-sourstuff

Ancient Greekὀξύς all →

amphioxusoxicoxy-oxytrope

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.