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

Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of Earth's atmosphere, but plants and animals cannot use it directly because the two nitrogen atoms in N2 are joined by an exceptionally strong chemical triple bond.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Checking the readouts, I see that I have 410 milliliters of oxygen, 738 milliliters of nitrogen.

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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