Hypooxygenate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To reduce the oxygen content in a substance or environment; to cause a deficiency of oxygen in tissues or cells; to lower the oxygen partial pressure in a given area
2. To induce a state characterized by diminished oxygen levels within a medium or living organism; to create oxygen scarcity in biological or chemical contexts; to decrease oxygen saturation in a region or sample
3. To cause a reduction in available oxygen in a compound, tissue, or habitat; to impose oxygen limitation leading to hypoxic conditions; to diminish the oxygen supply in a physical or physiological system

Etymology: Its most surprising part is the oxygen. The chemist Antoine Lavoisier named the element from Greek "oxys," meaning "sharp" or "acid," plus "-gen," meaning "producing." He believed oxygen was the essential ingredient of all acids, so the name, "acid-former," was based on a theory that later proved mistaken. The gas itself is not acidic, but the name stuck. The prefix "hypo-" comes from Greek "hypo," meaning "under" or "beneath," and it appears across chemistry and medicine in words for less of something, such as "hypochlorite." Attaching it to "oxygenate" gives the sense of reducing oxygen below a normal level. The ending "-ate" is the common English verb suffix, so the whole word is a modern technical formation built from Greek parts.

Synonyms: reduce oxygen, deoxygenate

Antonyms: oxygenate, oxidize