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azo

[az-oh, ey-zoh]
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adjective Chemistry.
  1. containing the azo group.
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Origin of azo

First recorded in 1875–80; independent use of azo-

azo-

  1. a combining form used in the formation of compound words, especially names of chemical compounds containing nitrogen or the azo group: azobenzene.
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Also especially before a vowel, az-.

Origin of azo-

< Greek ázō(os) without life, equivalent to a- a-6 + zō- zo-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for azo

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for azo

azo

adjective
  1. of, consisting of, or containing the divalent group -N:N-an azo group or radical See also diazo
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Word Origin

independent use of azo-

azo-

before a vowel az-

combining form
  1. indicating the presence of an azo groupazobenzene
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Word Origin

from French azote nitrogen, from Greek azōos lifeless, from a- 1 + zōē life
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for azo

azo-

word-forming element denoting the presence of nitrogen, 1879, from comb. form of azote, the old term for "nitrogen" (from Greek a- "not, without" (see a- (3)) + zoion "a living being;" see zoo); coined in French by Lavoisier & de Morveau because living things cannot survive in the gas.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
azo in Medicine

azo-

pref.
  1. Containing a nitrogen group, especially one attached at both ends in a covalent bond to other groups:azole.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
azo in Science

azo

[ăz′ō, ā′zō]
  1. Containing two nitrogen atoms joined by a double bond, with each nitrogen atom attached to another group.
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azo-

  1. A prefix that means “containing an azo group attached at both ends to other groups,” as in the compound azobenzene.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.