anoxia

noun

an·​ox·​ia a-ˈnäk-sē-ə How to pronounce anoxia (audio)
1
: hypoxia especially of such severity as to result in permanent damage
2
: the absence of dissolved oxygen in a body of water
Anoxia (zero milligrams 02 per liter) is not only deadly for biota, but is also a condition that initiates different microbial and geochemical reactions.Nathan Hawley

Examples of anoxia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Oxygen masks, for instance, failed often enough that over half of fliers experienced some form of anoxia. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 Song and colleagues used this approach to discover that each Capitanian marine extinction pulse coincided with widespread oxygen starvation in the ocean, called anoxia. Howard Lee, Ars Technica, 25 July 2023 There are examples of trilobite clusters from later in the fossil record that appear to have perished from sudden anoxia, or lack of oxygen, in the water. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2019 When the brain is starved of blood flow (ischemia) and oxygen (anoxia), the patient faints in a fraction of a minute and his or her electroencephalogram, or EEG, becomes isoelectric—in other words, flat. Christof Koch, Scientific American, 19 May 2020 These eruptions ejected massive amounts of heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, enabling runaway global warming and related effects such as ocean acidification and anoxia, a loss of dissolved oxygen in water. Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 30 Sep. 2019 Just as in the late Devonian, increased weathering would have brought on anoxia that suffocated the oceans. Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 30 Sep. 2019 Scientists had previously suspected that anoxia, or a lack of oxygen, was responsible for destroying aquatic life. Lucas Joel, Scientific American, 15 May 2018 The findings may have special relevance in modern times because the trigger for this ancient anoxia was most likely climate change caused by Siberian volcanoes pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Lucas Joel, Scientific American, 15 May 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anoxia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of anoxia was in 1931

Dictionary Entries Near anoxia

Cite this Entry

“Anoxia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anoxia. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

anoxia

noun
an·​ox·​ia a-ˈnäk-sē-ə How to pronounce anoxia (audio)
: a condition in which too little oxygen (as at high altitudes) reaches the tissues

Medical Definition

anoxia

noun
an·​ox·​ia ə-ˈnäk-sē-ə, a- How to pronounce anoxia (audio)
: hypoxia especially of such severity as to result in permanent damage
anoxic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on anoxia

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