Oxidize
/ˈɒk.sɪ.daɪz/noun
To combine with oxygen or to undergo a reaction in which oxygen is added or electrons are lost.
Did you know?The word was coined in the 18th century from French *oxider*, built on *oxide* and *oxygène*; the whole family was shaped by the early belief that oxygen was the maker of acids.
Etymological Timeline
Late 18th Century
French
oxider
“to combine with oxygen”
Late 18th Century
French
oxygène
“oxygen, originally thought to be the 'acid-former'”
Late 18th Century
French
oxide
“a compound formed with oxygen”
Early 19th Century
English
oxidize
“to combine with oxygen or cause to combine with oxygen”
Modern English
English
oxidize
“to undergo or cause a chemical reaction involving oxygen or electron loss”