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Why did Antoine Lavoisier call nitrogen azote?

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A labeled diagram of a periodic table entry for nitrogen shows its atomic number 7, symbol N, electron configuration, atomic weight, and name. Symbols indicate nitrogen is a nonmetal gas at room temperature, has a hexagonal crystal structure, and strongly acidic higher-valence oxides. A key explains the diagram's icons and color coding.
nitrogen

Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier named the gas azote based on its inability to support life. The term is derived from the Greek prefix a- (meaning "without") and zoe (meaning "life").12

This name reflects the observation that the gas, which makes up about four-fifths of the atmosphere, cannot sustain life in the same way that oxygen supports respiration and combustion. While the element was later named nitrogen by Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal in 1790 due to its presence in potassium nitrate, azote remains the standard French word for the element today.21