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butane

[byoo-teyn, byoo-teyn]
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noun Chemistry.
  1. a colorless, flammable gas, C4H10, a saturated aliphatic existing in two isometric forms: used chiefly in the manufacture of rubber and as fuel.
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Origin of butane

First recorded in 1870–75; but(yl) + -ane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for butane

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Historical Examples

  • Now they heat and cook with butane or electricity which comes from Silver City.

    The Pinos Altos Story

    Dorothy Watson

British Dictionary definitions for butane

butane

noun
  1. a colourless flammable gaseous alkane that exists in two isomeric forms, both of which occur in natural gas. The stable isomer, n -butane, is used mainly in the manufacture of rubber and fuels (such as Calor Gas). Formula: C 4 H 10
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Word Origin

C19: from but (yl) + -ane
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

Word Origin and History for butane

n.

paraffin hydrocarbon, 1875, from butyl, hydrocarbon from butyric acid, a product of fermentation found in rancid butter, from Latin butyrum (see butter (n.)) + chemical suffix -ane.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
butane in Medicine

butane

(byōō′tān′)
n.
  1. Either of two isomers of a gaseous hydrocarbon produced synthetically from petroleum and used as a refrigerant, as a aerosol propellant, and in the manufacture of synthetic rubber.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
butane in Science

butane

[byōō′tān′]
  1. An organic compound found in natural gas and produced from petroleum. Butane is used as a household fuel, refrigerant, and propellant in aerosol cans. It is the fourth member of the alkane series. Chemical formula: C4H10.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.