alkyl

[al-kuh l]Chemistry

adjective

containing an alkyl group.

noun

an alkyl group.

Origin of alkyl

1880–85; < German, equivalent to Alk(ohol) alcohol + -yl -yl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for alkyl

Historical Examples of alkyl

Hydrogen may be substituted in these chains by alkyl or aromatic groups.
Animal Proteins
Hugh Garner Bennett
The glyoxalines are basic in character, and the imide hydrogen is replaceable by metals and alkyl groups.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3
Various
For instance, an alkyl may be substituted for the hydroxyl hydrogen in an alcohol molecule, when an ether results.
Scientific American Supplement No. 822
Various
The influence of position of an alkyl in the aromatic bodies is well shown in ortho-, para- and meta-derivatives.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection
Alexander Wynter Blyth
We may also notice that thio-ethers combine with alkyl iodides to form sulphine or sulphonium compounds, R3SI.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1
Various

British Dictionary definitions for alkyl

alkyl

noun

(modifier) of, consisting of, or containing the monovalent group C n H 2 n +1alkyl group or radical
an organometallic compound, such as tetraethyl lead, containing an alkyl group bound to a metal atom

Word Origin for alkyl

C19: from German, from Alk (ohol) alcohol + -yl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

alkyl in Medicine

alkyl

[ăl′kəl]

A monovalent radical, such as ethyl or propyl, having the general formula CnH2n+1.

alkyl in Science

alkyl

[ăl′kəl]

A radical that has the general formula CnH2n+1, formed by removing a hydrogen atom from an alkane. Ethyl and propyl are alkyls.