nitrogen-removing
|nit-ro-gen-re-mov-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˈnaɪtrədʒən rɪˈmuvɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˈnaɪtrədʒ(ə)n rɪˈmuːvɪŋ/
take away nitrogen
Etymology
'nitrogen-removing' originates from modern English, combining the noun 'nitrogen' (from Neo-Latin 'nitrogenium' and French 'nitrogène') and the present participle form of the verb 'remove' (from Old French and Latin 'removere'), where 'nitro-/nitro' relates to nitre and '-gen' originally meant 'producer' and Latin 'removere' meant 'to move back or away'.
'nitrogen' developed from Neo-Latin 'nitrogenium' and French 'nitrogène' (coined in the late 18th century to name the chemical element), and 'remove' came through Old French from Latin 'removere'; these elements were combined in modern English to form descriptive compounds such as 'nitrogen-removing'.
The element-name component originally referred to substances related to nitre (saltpeter) and the suffix '-gen' meant 'producer of'; over time it became the standard name for the chemical element 'nitrogen'. 'Remove' originally carried the sense 'move back' in Latin but evolved into the general sense 'take away', which is retained in the compound 'nitrogen-removing'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or result of removing nitrogen (often used as the noun phrase 'nitrogen removal').
Nitrogen removal is a key step in treating agricultural runoff and sewage.
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Adjective 1
removing, or capable of removing, nitrogen (usually from a substance, solution, or environment); used to describe processes, organisms, or materials that take nitrogen away.
A nitrogen-removing treatment is essential in many wastewater plants to prevent eutrophication.
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Last updated: 2025/10/23 10:16