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oxygen mask

oxygen mask

15 3.4
A covering you wear over the nose and mouth to give oxygen in emergencies or medical care
  • noun
  • /ˈɑksɪdʒən mæsk/
translation icon : mascarilla de oxígeno
  • The flight attendant instructed each passenger to wear an oxygen mask if the cabin pressure drops.
  • your oxygen masks

Think of when you're on a plane and the oxygen mask may drop down.

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Examples

  • Behind a curtain, May lies sleeping, IV tubing supplying nutrition, an oxygen mask supplying life.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Clarissa was sedated, an oxygen mask fastened over her nose and mouth.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Put your own oxygen mask on first.

  • You can take off your oxygen masks now, if you like.

  • Hold the oxygen mask firmly against your face.

  • His hand trembles as he reaches for the oxygen mask and places it over his face.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • A second nurse, Jim, puts an oxygen mask over Rudy's face.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Please return to your seats and securely fasten your oxygen masks coming from above.

  • All right, So those oxygen masks, those are there in case the airplane loses pressure and you're breathing very low density air has hardly any oxygen in it.

  • Tegan hastily set up the anesthetic machine and clamped the oxygen mask over Sweet Pea's nose.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

breathing apparatus
vsoxygen mask
  • Specialized
3 4.4

A device that helps a person breathe when the air is unsafe or not available

is specifically a wearable supply that delivers oxygen from a storage tank
breathing device
vsoxygen mask
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A machine that helps a person take air into their lungs when they cannot do it themselves

is a wearable supply that gives oxygen from a tank for emergencies

How Oxygenated

rebreather
  • Specialized
5 7.8
ventilator
  • Specialized
38 4.6
oxygen mask
15 3.4
cannula
  • Specialized
7 7.8

Surface Forms

oxygen mask singular
oxygen masks plural

Morphology

oxygen + mask

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'oxygen' (the gas needed for breathing) with 'mask' (a face covering); together they denote a face covering that supplies oxygen. This is a literal, compositional compound found cross-linguistically and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Oxygen mask comes from the simple image of a mask that gives oxygen to the nose and mouth. People first used them in planes and hospitals when the air was thin or a patient could not breathe, so today oxygen mask means a device you wear in an 'emergency' to 'help you breathe'.