[mass noun]a colourless, odourless reactive gas, the chemical element of atomic number 8 and the life-supporting component of the air. Oxygen forms about 20 per cent of the earth's atmosphere, and is the most abundant element in the earth's crust, mainly in the form of oxides, silicates, and carbonates(Symbol: O) 氧(符号:O)
Oxygen is essential to plant and animal life and is a constituent of most organic compounds. It forms about 20 per cent of the earth's atmosphere, and is the most abundant element in the earth's crust, mainly in the form of oxides, silicates, and carbonates
派生 oxygenous adjective 语源
late 18th cent.: from French (principe) oxygène 'acidifying constituent' (because at first it was held to be the essential component in the formation of acids)