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ethanol

American  
[eth-uh-nawl, -nol] / ˈɛθ əˌnɔl, -ˌnɒl /

noun

Chemistry.

  1. alcohol.

ethanol British  
/ ˈiːθə-, ˈɛθəˌnɒl /

noun

  1. the technical name for alcohol

"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
ethanol Scientific  
/ ĕth′ə-nôl′ /

  1. An alcohol obtained from the fermentation of sugars and starches or by chemical synthesis. It is the intoxicating ingredient of alcoholic beverages, and is also used as a solvent, in explosives, and as an additive to or replacement for petroleum-based fuels. Also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol. Chemical formula: C 2 H 6 O.

ethanol Cultural  

  1. Another name for ethyl alcohol.

Etymology

Origin of ethanol

First recorded in 1895–1900; ethane + -ol 1

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

India’s trade negotiators have batted back efforts to get them to open their market to U.S. dairy products and ethanol.

From The Wall Street Journal

This carefully tuned synergy allowed ethanol oxidation to proceed efficiently at temperatures below 250oC.

From Science Daily

This is one of the reasons U.S. corn farmers were so gung-ho on ethanol when it was introduced in the 2000s: It was a new use case for their product in a saturated commodity market.

From Barron's

With billions of gallons of cellulosic ethanol around, the auto industry would produce cars that could take a blend of 85% ethanol, leading to greater U.S. energy self-sufficiency.

From The Wall Street Journal

That pushes refineries near bankruptcy and compels them to plead for exemptions, which anger the ethanol lobby.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.