ozone
/ˈoʊzoʊn/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
ὄζειν — to smell
Overview
Meaning Now
- A colorless, unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light.
- A layer in the Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth from the sun.
Literal older meaning
that which smells
Language path
Ancient Greek → German → English
Earliest form
Ozon
Earliest period
1839
Journey
The term was coined by German chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1839. He noticed a peculiar, sharp, electrical smell during his experiments with water electrolysis and lightning discharges, naming the substance after the Greek word 'ozein' meaning 'to smell'.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*h₁ed-
“to smell”
- Ancient Greek
ὄζειν
“to smell”
- Ancient Greek
ὄζων
“smelling”
Present participle of ὄζειν.
- German (1839)
Ozon
“a gas with a distinct, pungent smell”
Coined by Christian Friedrich Schönbein.
- English (1840s)
ozone
“a colorless unstable toxic gas”
Connections
Word parts
oz-
root
to smell
-one
suffix
chemical substance suffix
Related across languages
Ancient Greek
ὄζος
branch (related to smell of pine/trees)
Explore next
Related to ozone
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.