Oxidic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A classification for chemicals that incorporate oxygen bonded with another element is discussed This term encompasses substances that include oxides and are derived from reactions involving oxygen It is used to indicate materials that exhibit characteristics of being oxygen-rich in their molecular structure
2. Describing a substance that consists of oxygen combined with one or more other elements
3. Pertaining to compounds formed when elements chemically bond with oxygen atoms

Etymology: "Oxidic" is a plain chemical formation: the adjective "oxide" with the suffix "-ic" added. "Oxide" itself comes from French "oxyde," coined in the late 18th century from Greek "oxys," meaning sharp or acid, because many of the early oxides were acidic in nature. The "-ic" ending, from Greek and Latin "-icus," turns a noun into an adjective meaning "relating to" or "having the character of," as in "acidic" or "metallic." The word is therefore a technical descriptor for compounds that belong to the oxide class, and it follows the same pattern chemists used for related terms such as "sulfidic" and "chloridic." Its meaning stays close to its construction, with no later shift in sense.