dihydrogen monoxide

A glass being filled with dihydrogen monoxide, or water, from a bottle

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /daɪˈhaɪdɹədʒ(ə)n məˈnɒksaɪd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /daɪˈhaɪdɹədʒən məˈnɑkˌsaɪd/

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• Hyphenation: di‧hy‧dro‧gen mon‧ox‧ide

dihydrogen monoxide (uncountable)

1. (inorganic chemistry, humorous) H₂O, water.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:water

   • 1995, John December, quoting Craig Jackson, The World Wide Web Unleashed, 2nd edition, Indianapolis, Ind.: Sams.net, →ISBN, page 450:

     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.

   • 1997, Chemistry and Industry, London: Society of Chemical Industry, ISSN 0009-3068, OCLC 301702845, page 741, column 2:

     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 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 1068-624X, OCLC 36667166, page 1:

     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.

   • 2007, Michael Sullivan, III, Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data, 2nd edition, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, →ISBN, page 39, column 2:

     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.

The usual systematic name for water is hydrogen oxide, though it is more commonly just referred to as water.

• Abbreviation: DHMO

• water on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• dihydrogen monoxide parody on Wikipedia.Wikipedia