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ethylene
[ eth-uh-leen ]
/ ˈɛθ əˌlin /
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adjective
containing the ethylene group.
noun
Also called ethene, olefiant gas. a colorless, flammable gas, C2H4, having a sweet, unpleasant odor and taste, the first member of the ethylene series, usually obtained from petroleum and natural gas: used as an agent to improve the color of citrus fruits, in the synthesis of polyethylene, ethylene dibromide, ethylene oxide, and other organic compounds, and in medicine chiefly as an inhalation anesthetic.
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OTHER WORDS FROM ethylene
eth·yl·e·nic [eth-uh-lee-nik, -len-ik], /ˌɛθ əˈli nɪk, -ˈlɛn ɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby ethylene
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ethylene in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ethylene
ethylene
/ (ˈɛθɪˌliːn) /
noun
a colourless flammable gaseous alkene with a sweet odour, obtained from petroleum and natural gas and used in the manufacture of polythene and many other chemicals. Formula: CH 2 :CH 2Also called: ethene
Derived forms of ethylene
ethylenic (ˌɛθɪˈliːnɪk), adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for ethylene
ethylene
[ ĕth′ə-lēn′ ]
A colorless, flammable gas that occurs naturally in certain plants and can be obtained from petroleum and natural gas. As a plant hormone, it ripens and colors fruit, and it is manufactured for use in agriculture to speed these processes. It is also used as a fuel and in making plastics. Ethylene is the simplest alkene, consisting of two carbon atoms joined by a double bond and each attached to two hydrogen atoms. Also called ethene. Chemical formula: C2H4.
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