Definition of: ozone

(ō′zōn) noun
A blue gas with a pungent odor like that of chlorine, formed variously, as by the passage of electricity through the air, and regarded as an allotropic form of oxygen containing three atoms in the molecule (O₃). It is unstable and is a powerful oxidizing agent, being much more active than ordinary oxygen: employed for bleaching oils, waxes, ivory, flour, and starch, and for sterilizing drinking water. [<F <Gk. ozein smell]
—o·zon·ic (ō·zon′ik, ō·zō′nik), o·zo·nous (ō′zə·nəs) adjective