ethene

American

[eth-een] / ˈɛθ in /

noun

Chemistry.

ethylene.

ethene British

/ ˈɛθiːn /

noun

the technical name for ethylene

"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

ethene Scientific

/ ĕth′ēn′ /

See ethylene

Etymology

Origin of ethene

First recorded in 1870–75; eth(yl) + -ene

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.

These reactions include splitting dihydrogen and enabling the step-by-step insertion and chain growth of ethene, a simple 2-carbon hydrocarbon.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2026

The hydrocarbons ethane, ethene, and ethyne serve as examples of how different carbon-to-carbon bonds affect the geometry of the molecule.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Double bonds, like those found in ethene cannot rotate, so the atoms on either side are locked in place.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The planar configuration for the ethene molecule occurs because it is the most stable bonding arrangement.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The Lewis structure of ethene, C2H4, shows us that each carbon atom is surrounded by one other carbon atom and two hydrogen atoms.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

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