Oxide
/ˈɒk.saɪd/noun
A compound of oxygen with another element, especially a metal.
Did you know?Oxide comes from the same Greek root behind “oxygen,” coined in the 18th century when chemists believed oxygen was the “acid-former” element, so the word’s history is literally tied to a theory that turned out to be wrong.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
oxys
“sharp, pointed, keen, pungent”
18th Century
French
oxigène
“a term coined for oxygen, originally thought to mean acid-former”
18th Century
English
oxygen
“the gaseous element identified as a supporter of combustion and, at the time, believed to generate acids”
Late 18th Century
English
oxide
“a compound formed by oxygen combined with another element”
Modern English
English
oxide
“a compound of oxygen with another element, especially a metal”