oxygen
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the gas in the air that you need to breathe to stay alive.
the molecular form of the element (O₂) which constitutes approximately 21 percent of the Earth's atmosphere and is vital for life.
Simple“The doctor gave the patient some oxygen to help him breathe more easily.”
In context“Plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis, which is then released into the atmosphere and used by animals for cellular respiration.”
UsageUncountable when referring to the gas in general; countable only in technical chemical contexts referring to specific atoms.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8.
the chemical element with atomic number 8; it is the most abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust.
Simple“Water is made of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.”
In context“The researcher analyzed the isotopes of oxygen found within the ice core samples to determine historical temperature fluctuations.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
the things or attention that an idea or project needs to grow and succeed.
the metaphorical 'air' or support required for an idea, movement, or person to flourish or remain relevant.
Simple“The new law gave the small business community the oxygen it needed to grow.”
In context“By refusing to debate the extremist group, the prime minister denied them the oxygen of publicity they so desperately craved.”
Usage oxygen levels
“A key feature of this period was that oxygen levels were much lower than they are today.”
“The body responds by sending more blood toward the skin to release that heat while continuing to supply oxygen to working muscles.”
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 oxygènebor. English oxygen 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.