ethylene

American  

[eth-uh-leen] / ˈɛθ əˌlin /

adjective

1. containing the ethylene group.

---

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

---

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 .

---

Other Word Forms

• ethylenic adjective

Etymology

Origin of ethylene

First recorded in 1850–55; ethyl + -ene

Example Sentences

The shockwave is spreading across Asia, with Singapore's PCS -- a producer of ethylene and other petrochemicals -- announcing on March 5 that it had issued a formal force majeure notice to its customers.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

“EPA’s 2024 rule was an important and overdue step to reduce toxic ethylene oxide pollution and protect communities,” said Irena Como, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, in a statement Friday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Global ethylene capacity could expand by 9.3 million tons annually, with China accounting for 8.05 million tons, according to an industry report released in February, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

The current clinical trial led by Heard and his colleagues is focused on fomepizole, a drug approved to treat poisoning from ethylene glycol and methanol, substances commonly found in antifreeze.

From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2026

Thus methyl chloride, ethylene and oxygen are used in the cryogenic laboratory of Leiden, while Sir James Dewar has used air as the last term.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 "Columbus" to "Condottiere" by Various