Word of the Day: "dephlogisticated air"
The 18th century word for oxygen. Ordinary air stripped of the imaginary substance called phlogiston; see below. Coined before scientists knew what oxygen was, or of different gases.
Secondary Word of the Day: "phlogiston"
An imaginary 17th and 18th century element that was thought to be the substance that enabled combustible materials to catch fire. Scientists believed that when something burns, they release this hidden substance phlogiston into the air. Evidently this idea was discarded for the fact that combustion is enabled by oxgyen.
:)
Courtesy of my science textbook that taught me the history of phlogiston!
