Dictionary

off-gas en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree English off- Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂-der. Ancient Greek χαῦνος (khaûnos) Ancient Greek χάος (kháos)der. Dutch gasbor. English gas English off-gas From off- + gas.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Gas produced as a side effect of a chemical reaction, sometimes hazardous.

Forms

off-gas en · VERB

Etymology

Etymology tree English off- Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂-der. Ancient Greek χαῦνος (khaûnos) Ancient Greek χάος (kháos)der. Dutch gasbor. English gas English off-gas From off- + gas.

Meanings

1. (of a solid or liquid) To emit gases, especially noxious ones.
   • Moving along to consider @CZ662C’s even worse-looking CD fragments, and the tech detectives on X reckon this dramatic damage was caused by storage in a foam-padded case. Some foam padding materials, the story goes, will off-gas ammonia compounds. 2026 August 15, Mark Tyson, “Catastrophic optical disc shattering blamed on cleaning chemicals and packing foam — another data preservation concern to add to bit rot and laser rot”, in Tom's Hardware:
   • Since solvent-based paints can off-gas for a long time as they dry, when trapped in a tightly sealed building they can contribute to an unhealthy cocktail of chemicals in the air. 2004, Old-House Journal, page 86:

Forms

Synonyms

outgas