'oxygen-reactive' originates from the combination of 'oxygen' and 'reactive', where 'oxygen' is derived from the Greek word 'oxys' meaning 'sharp' or 'acid', and 'reactive' comes from the Latin 'reactivus', meaning 'to act again'.

'oxygen' was derived from the French 'oxygène', coined in the late 18th century, while 'reactive' evolved from the Latin 'reactivus'.

Initially, 'reactive' meant 'to act in response', but in combination with 'oxygen', it evolved to describe substances that chemically interact with oxygen.