peroxide

American  

[puh-rok-sahyd] / pəˈrɒk saɪd /

noun

1. Chemistry.

   1. hydrogen peroxide, H 2 O 2 or H–O–O–H.

   2. a compound containing the bivalent group –O 2 –, derived from hydrogen peroxide, as sodium peroxide, Na 2 O 2 , or dimethyl peroxide, C 3 H 6 O 2 .

   3. the oxide of an element that contains an unusually large amount of oxygen.

---

verb (used with object)

peroxided, peroxiding

1. to use peroxide as a bleaching agent on (especially the hair).

peroxide British  

/ pəˈrɒksaɪd /

noun

1. short for hydrogen peroxide, esp when used for bleaching hair

2. any of a class of metallic oxides, such as sodium peroxide, Na 2 O 2 , that contain the divalent ion ^– O-O ^–

3. (not in technical usage) any of certain dioxides, such as manganese peroxide, MnO 2 , that resemble peroxides in their formula but do not contain the ^– O-O ^– ion

4. any of a class of organic compounds whose molecules contain two oxygen atoms bound together. They tend to be explosive

5. (modifier) of, relating to, bleached with, or resembling peroxide

---

verb

1. (tr) to bleach (the hair) with peroxide

peroxide Scientific  

/ pə-rŏk′sīd′ /

1. A compound containing the group O ₂. Peroxides are strong oxidizers and are used as industrial bleaches. When any peroxide is combined with an acid, one of the products is hydrogen peroxide.

2. Hydrogen peroxide.

---

Other Word Forms

• peroxidic adjective

Etymology

Origin of peroxide

First recorded in 1795–1805; per- + oxide

Example Sentences

Then came peroxide, and the part that made her a star.

From BBC

"The baddies that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being high up on the ingredients list, Miss Truman says.

From BBC

This allows GPX4 to neutralize lipid peroxides, harmful molecules that would otherwise damage the membrane.

From Science Daily

An All Black pass went to ground and Henry Pollock, a whirl of peroxide energy, got his toe to the ball first and grubbered into space.

From BBC

Pollock, showing off a shock of peroxide blond hair for the first time on the Test stage, took nine minutes to accessorise his new look with a try.

From BBC

Related Words

• lighten