Main Entry: ni·tro·gen

Pronunciation: \ˈnī-trə-jən\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: French nitrogène, from nitre niter + -gène -gen

Date: 1794

: a colorless tasteless odorless element that as a diatomic gas is relatively inert and constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere and that is a constituent of organic compounds found in all living tissues — see element table

— ni·trog·e·nous \nī-ˈträ-jə-nəs\ adjective