nitrogen

American  

[nahy-truh-juhn] / ˈnaɪ trə dʒən /

noun

Chemistry.

• nitrogens
  plural

1. a colorless, odorless, gaseous element that constitutes about four-fifths of the volume of the atmosphere and is present in combined form in animal and vegetable tissues, especially in proteins: used chiefly in the manufacture of ammonia, nitric acid, cyanide, explosives, fertilizer, dyes, as a cooling agent, etc. N; 14.0067; 7; density: 1.2506 grams/liter at 0°C and 760 millimeters pressure.

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nitrogen British  

/ ˈnaɪtrədʒən /

noun

1. 1. a colourless odourless relatively unreactive gaseous element that forms 78 per cent (by volume) of the air, occurs in many compounds, and is an essential constituent of proteins and nucleic acids: used in the manufacture of ammonia and other chemicals and as a refrigerant. Symbol: N; atomic no: 7; atomic wt: 14.00674; valency: 3 or 5; density: 1/ 2506 kg/m³; melting pt: –210.00°C; boiling pt: –195.8°C

   2. ( as modifier )

      nitrogen cycle

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nitrogen Scientific  

/ nī′trə-jən /

1. A nonmetallic element that makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume, occurring as a colorless, odorless gas. It is a component of all proteins, making it essential for life, and it is also found in various minerals. Nitrogen is used to make ammonia, nitric acid, TNT, and fertilizers. Atomic number 7; atomic weight 14.0067; melting point −209.86°C; boiling point −195.8°C; valence 3, 5.

2. See Periodic Table See Note at oxygen

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nitrogen Cultural  

1. A chemical element that makes up about four-fifths of the atmosphere of the Earth. Its symbol is N.

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Discover More

Like carbon, nitrogen is a necessary element in the tissues of living things.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nitrogens
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of nitrogen

First recorded in 1785–95; from French nitrogène; see origin at nitro-, -gen

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nitrogen nitrogens

Alabama and Louisiana are the first states to have carried out executions with nitrogen gas, though three other states - Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma - also allow for it.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

When these charged particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen, photons of coloured light are emitted - this is the aurora.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Louisiana allow executions by nitrogen gas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Similar patterns appear on Sputnik Planitia, leading researchers to propose that subsurface liquid, specifically nitrogen, may be rising upward and wetting Pluto's frozen nitrogen surface.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

The oxygen tanks, nitrogen tanks, C02 filter assembly ... all unnecessary.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Serotonin is a tiny molecule, a bibelot built of just 10 carbon atoms, a dozen hydrogens, two nitrogens and a single oxygen.

From New York Times ● May 2, 2011

I observed much and confusing talk of the value of nitrogens, proteids and—when I had reached the ultra-modernists—vitamines.

From One Third Off by Tony Sarg

I can eat starches, and albumens, all right, but I have to keep right away from all carbons and nitrogens.

From Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy by Stephen Leacock

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