Oxidization

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɑksɪdɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/

Definitions

1. The chemical transformation that entails the addition of oxygen to a compound or the removal of hydrogen from it occurs through a specific process of electron loss
2. In a particular reaction, a substance interacts with oxygen, leading to a change characterized by electron loss and oxidation states
3. The process by which a chemical substance undergoes a reaction involving the intake of oxygen or the loss of electrons

Etymology: Oxidization is a plain, technical coinage built from the word "oxidize" plus the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun for the process it names. The chain runs back to ancient Greek: "oxús" meant "sharp" or "acid," and it gave French the name "oxygène," the element the chemist Antoine Lavoisier named in the 1700s, on the mistaken belief that oxygen was the essential component of all acids. From that French name came "oxide," and the English verb "oxidize" was formed from it with the Greek-derived "-ize" ending. The suffix chain is the most interesting part. "-ize" came into English through Middle French and Late Latin from Greek "-izein," a verb-forming ending, while "-ation" descends from Latin "-ātiō" through Old French. Joining the two produced a noun for the act of making something combine with oxygen. Because it is a modern scientific formation, it was built from existing parts rather than handed down from classical antiquity.

Synonyms: oxidation