benzine

American  

[ben-zeen, ben-zeen] / ˈbɛn zin, bɛnˈzin /

Also benzin

noun

1. a colorless, volatile, flammable, liquid mixture of various hydrocarbons, obtained in the distillation of petroleum, and used in cleaning, dyeing, etc.

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benzine British  

/ ˈbɛnziːn, ˈbɛnzɪn, bɛnˈziːn /

noun

1. a volatile mixture of the lighter aliphatic hydrocarbon constituents of petroleum See ligroin petroleum ether

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Etymology

Origin of benzine

First recorded in 1850–55; benz- + -ine ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

benzine

They wanted the gasoline — the benzine — that was leaking out of the plane and ran toward them with buckets to collect the fuel.

From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2021

The smell of benzine wafts up from the water trough.

From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2014

Supreme Court in 2013 of polluting groundwater in the area with toxic benzine, has sponsored the cleanup as part of its corporate social responsibility campaign.

From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2014

One newshawk took a sip of it, made faces, said he thought it tasted like a compound of ether and benzine.

From Time Magazine Archive

E. W. Claypole has found the use of benzine or gasoline very cheap and satisfactory for killing Lepidoptera, as the largest are at once killed thereby without injury to their scales.

From Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects by Riley, C. V.