Anoxaemia

/ˌænɒkˈsiːmiə/ noun

Definition

A deficiency of oxygen in the blood; a condition where blood oxygen levels are abnormally low (British spelling of anoxemia).

Etymology

From Greek 'a-' (without) + 'oxys' (sharp, oxygen) + 'haima' (blood). A medical term developed in the 19th-20th centuries as oxygen became understood in physiology.

Kelly Says

The prefix 'ox-' in 'oxygen' literally means 'acid-maker'—ancient chemists called it that because it combines with almost everything! So 'anoxaemia' literally means 'without-acid-maker in blood!'

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