ethylene

American  

[eth-uh-leen] / ˈɛθ əˌlin /

adjective

1. containing the ethylene group.

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noun

1. Also called ethene, olefiant gas.  a colorless, flammable gas, C 2 H 4 , having a sweet, unpleasant odor and taste, the first member of the ethylene series, usually obtained from petroleum and natural gas: used as an agent to improve the color of citrus fruits, in the synthesis of polyethylene, ethylene dibromide, ethylene oxide, and other organic compounds, and in medicine chiefly as an inhalation anesthetic.

ethylene British  

/ ˈɛθɪˌliːn, ˌɛθɪˈliːnɪk /

noun

1. Also called: ethene.  a colourless flammable gaseous alkene with a sweet odour, obtained from petroleum and natural gas and used in the manufacture of polythene and many other chemicals. Formula: CH 2 :CH 2

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ethylene Scientific  

/ ĕth′ə-lēn′ /

1. A colorless, flammable gas that occurs naturally in certain plants and can be obtained from petroleum and natural gas. As a plant hormone, it ripens and colors fruit, and it is manufactured for use in agriculture to speed these processes. It is also used as a fuel and in making plastics. Ethylene is the simplest alkene, consisting of two carbon atoms joined by a double bond and each attached to two hydrogen atoms. Also called ethene. Chemical formula: C ₂ H ₄ .

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ethylenic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ethylene

First recorded in 1850–55; ethyl + -ene

Example Sentences

Two toxic air contaminants present in California’s ambient air, acrolein and ethylene oxide, appear to be much stronger carcinogens than previously known, California environmental health officials announced Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

Kevin Wagner, vice president of the medical sterilizer company Sterigenics, messaged asking that nine facilities emitting the carcinogenic gas ethylene oxide, including near Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Charlotte and Atlanta, be exempted.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

That causes the molecule to crack into hydrogen and ethylene, the basic building block of plastics such as polyethylene.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Derivatives from petrochemicals - such as methanol and ethylene - are vital materials in the global production of pharmaceuticals, including painkillers, antibiotics and vaccines.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Styrolene Derivatives.—This group contains a benzene and also an ethylene group, being derived from styrolene C6H5�CH:CH2.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various