Oxys
/ˈɒk.sɪs/noun
A transliteration of Ancient Greek ὀξύς, meaning sharp, pointed, keen, or sour; it is also used in scientific names.
Did you know?Ancient Greek ὀξύς helped form scientific terms such as oxygen and oxyacid, although oxygen’s name—“acid-former”—was based on a historical theory later shown to be incomplete.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ek-
“Sharp, pointed, or piercing”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὀξύς (oxýs)
“Sharp, pointed, keen, or sour”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὀξύς (oxýs)
“Used in scientific compounds for sharpness, acidity, or pungency”
17th Century
New Latin
oxygenum
““Acid-former,” coined from Greek oxýs and -genēs”
Modern English
English
oxy- / oxys
“A scientific combining form or transliteration referring to oxygen, acidity, or sharpness”