What does "nitrogen" mean?

1. (chemical element or gas) a gas that has no colour or smell and makes up about 78% of the Earth's atmosphere. 2. (liquid nitrogen) the very cold liquid form of nitrogen used to freeze things quickly.

How do you use "nitrogen"?

Usually uncountable when referring to the gas or the element in general. Often used in the compound 'liquid nitrogen'.

nitrogen

US //ˈnaɪtɹədʒən// UK //nˈaɪtɹədʒən// ni·tro·gen

1 chemical element or gas (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Science

a gas that has no colour or smell and makes up about 78% of the Earth's atmosphere.

the chemical element with atomic number 7; most commonly encountered as a colorless, odorless diatomic gas (N₂) that is the primary constituent of air.

Example

Plants need nitrogen in the soil to grow strong and healthy.

Example

Nitrogen is essential for life on Earth, as it is a fundamental component of amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids like DNA.

Usage

Usually uncountable when referring to the gas or the element in general.
2 liquid nitrogen (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Science

the very cold liquid form of nitrogen used to freeze things quickly.

nitrogen in a liquid state at extremely low temperatures, typically used as a refrigerant or in cryogenics.

Example

The chef used liquid nitrogen to make instant ice cream for the guests.

Example

The laboratory stored the biological samples in tanks of liquid nitrogen to ensure they remained preserved at cryogenic temperatures.

Usage

Often used in the compound 'liquid nitrogen'.

Origin

Borrowed from French nitrogène (coined by French chemist and physician Jean-Antoine Chaptal in 1790). By surface analysis, nitro- + -gen. See also niter.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026