dihydrogen monoxide en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /daɪˈhaɪdɹədʒ(ə)n məˈnɒksaɪd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /daɪˈhaɪdɹədʒən məˈnɑkˌsaɪd/ (General-American)
Meanings
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(humorous, uncountable, usually) H₂O, water.
One-by-one the warning fliers turned up in mailboxes around Wylie Heights in North Sewickley, Beaver County: It advised, there is a chemical in your water supply called dihydrogen monoxide. Tasteless and colorless, dihydrogen monoxide was blamed for a trio of ills: severe hydration, frequent urination and possible death. In fact, the flier said, dihydrogen monoxide kills thousands every year. […] Dihydrogen monoxide is the chemical name for water, and a quartet of Riverside High School students are up to their necks in the hot kind after their Internet-inspired prank made dozens of homeowners not readily acquainted with chemical terms hyper over hydro.
1997 April 19, Dennis B[rian Patrick] Roddy, “Internet-inspired prank lands 4 teens in hot water”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, volume 70, number 262, Pittsburgh, Pa.: Block Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1:Thus ice contracts when melting, ice being a regular and rather open structure of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, while water is a collection of dihydrogen-monoxide (H₂O), tetra-hydrogen dioxide (2H₂O), and more complex molecules.
1928, Herbert Chatley, Studies in Molecular Force, 3rd edition, Charles Griffin & Co., Limited, page 4:There was no point in buying bottled water, he said, dihydrogen monoxide would be in there too, although you could get rid of it by boiling your water for long enough.
1997, Chemistry and Industry, London: Society of Chemical Industry, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 741, column 2:The Invisible Killer Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there.
1995, John December, quoting Craig Jackson, The World Wide Web Unleashed, 2nd edition, Indianapolis, Ind.: Sams.net, →ISBN, page 450:Many people have joined the cause to ban this substance without realizing that dihydrogen monoxide is simply water (H₂O). Their eagerness to protect the environment or their fear of seeming uninformed may be part of the problem.
2007, Michael Sullivan, III, Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data, 2nd edition, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, →ISBN, page 39, column 2:
Relateds
dihydrogen-monoxide · DHMO · dihydrogenmonoxide · dinitrogen monoxide
Synonyms
aqua · hydrohydroxic acid · water · diprotium monoxide · hydrogen oxide · H₂O · oxidane · hydrogen hydroxide · universal solvent · hydric acid · hydroxilic acid · dihydrogen monoxide (abbr. DHMO) · hydro · hydroxic acid · μ-oxido dihydrogen · hydroxylic acid
Translations (18)
de Dihydrogenmonoxid (water, H₂O — see also water) · eo dihidrogenmonoksido (water, H₂O — see also water) · es monóxido de dihidrógeno (water, H₂O — see also water) · ja 一酸化二水素 (water, H₂O — see also water) · cmn 一氧化二氫 /一氧化二氢 (water, H₂O — see also water) · pt monóxido de dihidrogênio (water, H₂O — see also water) · pt monóxido de di-hidrogénio (water, H₂O — see also water) · vi đihiđro monoxit (water, H₂O — see also water) · ro monoxid de dihidrogen (water, H₂O — see also water) · nl diwaterstofmonoxide (water, H₂O — see also water) · th ไดไฮโดรเจนมอนอกไซด์ (water, H₂O — see also water) · hu dihidrogén-monoxid (water, H₂O — see also water) · da dihydrogenmonoxid (water, H₂O — see also water) · fi divetymonoksidi (water, H₂O — see also water) · fr monoxyde de dihydrogène (water, H₂O — see also water) · pl monotlenek diwodoru (water, H₂O — see also water) · it monossido di diidrogeno (water, H₂O — see also water) · ko 일산화이수소 (water, H₂O — see also water)