deoxygenate

verb

de·​ox·​y·​gen·​ate (ˌ)dē-ˈäk-si-jə-ˌnāt How to pronounce deoxygenate (audio)
ˌdē-äk-ˈsi-jə-
deoxygenated; deoxygenating; deoxygenates

transitive verb

: to remove especially molecular oxygen from
deoxygenates the lake water
deoxygenation noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The basin in Louisiana is the country’s largest continuous swampland, but decades of oil and gas pipeline construction have left much of the water deoxygenated or filled with sediment and spoil that blocks the natural flow of the swamp water. Vaughn Hillyard /, NBC News, 23 June 2018 That order minimizes stiffness by sending pooled deoxygenated blood down in your legs back up to your heart for an oxygen boost. Roy M. Wallack, latimes.com, 20 Apr. 2018 This takes pressure off of your inferior vena cava, a large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from your lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart, and may help reduce swelling. Korin Miller, SELF, 21 Sep. 2017 Arteries pulse and carry mostly bright red blood away from the heart, whereas most veins carry darker, deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Malia Wollan, New York Times, 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deoxygenate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deoxygenate was in 1799

Dictionary Entries Near deoxygenate

Cite this Entry

“Deoxygenate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deoxygenate. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Medical Definition

deoxygenate

transitive verb
de·​ox·​y·​gen·​ate (ˈ)dē-ˈäk-si-jə-ˌnāt How to pronounce deoxygenate (audio) ˌdē-äk-ˈsij-ə- How to pronounce deoxygenate (audio)
deoxygenated; deoxygenating
: to remove oxygen from
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