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oxydation

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Etymology and origin of the French word oxydation

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1788 Mme Lavoisier, translation of Kirwan More words from the 18th century
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek ὀξύς
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús)
French oxyde
French oxyder
French oxydation
From the same root
Ancient Greek ὀξύμωρον (oxúmōron) ← ὀξύς
English oxymoron ← ὀξύς

Pronunciation

  • /ɔk.si.da.sjɔ̃/[1]

Forms

oxydation f (plural oxydations)[1] First spelled ⟨oxidation⟩ (1788); the spelling with ⟨y⟩ is recorded in 1801.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French oxyder + -ation.[2][3][4] Oxyder comes from oxyde, a word coined in 1787 by Guyton de Morveau as ⟨oxide⟩,[5] a learned derivative of Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, “acid”).[5] Etymonline names Guyton de Morveau and Lavoisier as the chemists who coined the noun of action as well.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded as oxidation in 1788, in Madame Lavoisier's translation of Kirwan's essay on phlogiston,[2][7] for the union of a substance with oxygen.[7]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to the new chemical nomenclature of the 1780s: Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF date it to 1789, the GLLF in the Annales de chimie,[5][4] and Haüy wrote oxydation with ⟨y⟩ in 1801.[2] In the 20th century the sense was generalised to any process in which electrons are removed from atoms or ions,[7] and the GLLF dates oxydation électrochimique and oxydation anodique to 1963 and nombre d'oxydation to 1968.[4]

English oxidation, from the French word, is recorded in 1791.[6]

Timeline

  • 1788 – Oxidation appears in Madame Lavoisier's translation of Kirwan.[2][7]
  • 1789 – Recorded in the Annales de chimie.[4]
  • 1791 – English borrows it as oxidation.[6]
  • 1801 – Haüy writes oxydation.[2]
  • 1963 – Oxydation anodique is recorded.[4]
  • 1968 – Nombre d'oxydation is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (chemistry) The combination of a substance with oxygen to form an oxide; also the state of what has been oxidised.[2][8][9]
  2. (chemistry) A reaction in which an atom, ion or molecule loses electrons, the opposite of reduction.[9][8][10]
  3. Oxydation anodique: an electrolytic process that coats metals with a protective oxide layer against corrosion.[8][9][4]
  4. Nombre d'oxydation: a number giving the degree of oxidation of an element in a compound.[9][4]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Oxydation.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/oxydation. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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