Oxalate
/ˈɒk.sə.leɪt/noun
A salt or ester of oxalic acid.
Did you know?Oxalate comes through modern scientific Latin from *Oxalis*, a plant genus named for its sharp, acidic taste, ultimately tied to Greek *oxys* meaning “sharp” or “acid,” the same ancient root behind “oxygen.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
oxys
“sharp, pointed, sour, acidic”
New Latin
Latin
Oxalis
“a genus of sour-tasting plants (wood-sorrels)”
18th Century
French/Scientific Latin
oxalique
“relating to oxalic acid”
19th Century
English
oxalate
“a salt or ester of oxalic acid”