Ōx'ide, n.

n. [Fr. oxide, oxyde, Sp. oxido, It. ossido. The French word was correctly spelt with i instead of y in the second syllable, till about the year 1840, when, in ignorance or forgetfulness of the true history and composition of the term, the orthography was changed to make it represent the v of the Greek word ὀξύς, from which it was supposed to be directly derived.] (Chem.) A compound of oxygen and a base destitute of acid and salifying properties.

☞ This word has been variously written oxide, oxyd, oxyde, and oxid. It was introduced into the present system of chemical nomenclature by Guyton de Morveau in 1787, and was by him and his associates of the French Academy spelled oxide, the first syllable of Fr. oxigène, or oxygene, being prefixed to the last syllable of acide, to denote a substance, not oxid, formed by the combination of some simple body with oxygen, it not being at that time known that any of the oxides possess acid properties. The same termination, as indicative of combination, is added to the first syllable or syllables of the names of other elements. Thus, from chlorine, sulphur, phosphorus, iodine, carbon, bromine, and nitrogen, we have respectively chloride, sulphide, phosphide, iodide, carbide, bromide, and nitride. These words, and others formed on the same analogy, are often spelled without the final e, and some writers have therefore omitted the e from oxide also; but this form of the word (oxid) is very unusual. From an oversight of the history and true composition of the term, many have been led to write a y instead of i in the last syllable, oxyd or oxyde, as if the y were necessary to represent the v of the Greek ὀξύς; whereas, in the original formation of this word, no immediate reference was had to the Greek, as has already been shown. Besides, it may be observed that the Greek itself has other words, such as ὄξος, ὀξάλειος, ὀξαλίς, ὀξίνα, &c., formed from the same root as ὀξύς, but without the v of that adjective, or in which the v is changed into some other vowel. The orthography oxide, or oxid, is, therefore, both historically and etymologically to be preferred; and not only so, but it is better supported by usage than oxyd or oxyde, being the form of spelling adopted by the great majority of chemists and scientific writers both in England and America.