hypoxia

[hahy-pok-see-uh]

noun

1. Biology.,  a very low level of oxygen, as in an organic environment.

   The fish have developed a tolerance to the hypoxia of the swamp.

2. Pathology.,  an abnormally low amount of oxygen in the body tissues.

   Premature newborns are routinely placed in incubators to treat or prevent hypoxia.

hypoxia

/ haɪˈpɒksɪə, haɪˈpɒksɪk /

noun

1. deficiency in the amount of oxygen delivered to the body tissues

Other Word Forms

• hypoxic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypoxia¹

First recorded in 1940–45; hyp- ( def. ) + oxy- ² ( def. ) + -ia ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypoxia¹

C20: from _hypo- + _oxy- ² + _-ia

Example Sentences

Thirty-three of this year's executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and four by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

Read more on Barron's

"She was in a critical condition, she was showing signs of hypoxia or oxygen deficiency. She had been bitten by insects and also some animal," Dr Kumar said.

Read more on BBC

“Emergency room doctors discovered the boy had extremely low blood sugar levels and suffered from hypoxia and constant seizures.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In a worst-case scenario, inhalation of nitrous oxide can lead to hypoxia, where the brain does not get enough oxygen.

Read more on BBC

Some researchers say xenon increases production of a protein called erythropoietin that fights hypoxia, a condition that occurs when the body can't get enough oxygen.

Read more on BBC