A component of acids, this gas discovered in 1774 gets its name from the Greek words for "acid" & "forming"
... Joseph 
Priestley is generally credited with its discovery (who made oxygen ... One-fifth 
was Priestley's gas, which Lavoisier named oxygen (from the Greek words 
meaning acid... [DOC] [TLE] ChemTeam: Early acid base theories: Lavoisier and Davy (mostly) [PAR] In fact, Lavoisier (in September 1777) created the word oxygen.