ethylene

American  

[eth-uh-leen] / ˈɛθ əˌlin /

adjective

1. containing the ethylene group.

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noun

1. Also called ethene, olefiant gas.  a colorless, flammable gas, C 2 H 4 , 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.

ethylene British  

/ ˈɛθɪˌliːn, ˌɛθɪˈliːnɪk /

noun

1. Also called: ethene.  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 2

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ethylene Scientific  

/ ĕth′ə-lēn′ /

1. 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: C ₂ H ₄ .

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Other Word Forms

• ethylenic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ethylene

First recorded in 1850–55; ethyl + -ene

Example Sentences

Two toxic air contaminants present in California’s ambient air, acrolein and ethylene oxide, appear to be much stronger carcinogens than previously known, California environmental health officials announced Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

Companies that use or manufacture ethylene oxide and their representatives complained to the EPA and questioned the science that cost them so dearly.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

Ethane is combined with high pressure steam at a temperature of more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the molecule's chemical bonds and forming ethylene, hydrogen and other gases.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Derivatives from petrochemicals - such as methanol and ethylene - are vital materials in the global production of pharmaceuticals, including painkillers, antibiotics and vaccines.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

One of a group of metameric hydrocarbons, C5H10, of the ethylene series.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah