hydrocarbon

[hahy-druh-kahr-buh n, hahy-druh-kahr-]

noun

any of a class of compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon, as an alkane, methane, CH4, an alkene, ethylene, C2H4, an alkyne, acetylene, C2H2, or an aromatic compound, benzene, C6H6.

Origin of hydrocarbon

First recorded in 1820–30; hydro-² + carbon

Related formshy·dro·car·bo·na·ceous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hydrocarbon

Contemporary Examples

The hydrocarbon bonanza in the United States gives Obama a significant opportunity.
A Foreign-Policy Cheat Sheet for Obama
Martin Indyk
January 17, 2013
That horizontal segment allows the well to have far greater exposure to the hydrocarbon reservoir.
Both Candidates Push Myth of Energy Independence
Robert Bryce
November 1, 2012
In Denmark, the poster child for wind power, neither carbon dioxide emissions nor hydrocarbon consumption have been reduced.
A Centrist Gets Fighting Mad
Mark McKinnon
October 13, 2010

Historical Examples

And there's a thin sprinkling of hydrocarbon molecules out there too.
The Sky Trap
Frank Belknap Long
These three bands reveal the existence of hydrocarbon in comets.
The Story of the Heavens
Robert Stawell Ball
In this reaction the iodine of the iodide of ethyl combines with the zinc, and the hydrocarbon supposed to be ethyl is set free.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
The residue contains any hydrocarbon oils or fats not converted into soap.
Soap-Making Manual
E. G. Thomssen
It is, therefore, a hydrocarbon of a very high degree of unsaturation.
The Chemistry of Plant Life
Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon

noun

any organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen, such as the alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, terpenes, and arenes

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 hydrocarbon

n.

"compound of hydrogen and carbon," 1826, formed in English from hydrogen + carbon.

hydrocarbon in Medicine

hydrocarbon

(hī′drə-kär′bən)

An organic compound, such as benzene and methane, that contains only carbon and hydrogen.

hydrocarbon in Science

hydrocarbon

[hī′drə-kär′bən]

Any of numerous organic compounds, such as benzene, that contain only carbon and hydrogen.

hydrocarbon

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}hydrocarbon

Examples from the Web for hydrocarbon

Contemporary Examples

The hydrocarbon bonanza in the United States gives Obama a significant opportunity.

That horizontal segment allows the well to have far greater exposure to the hydrocarbon reservoir.

In Denmark, the poster child for wind power, neither carbon dioxide emissions nor hydrocarbon consumption have been reduced.

Historical Examples

And there's a thin sprinkling of hydrocarbon molecules out there too.

These three bands reveal the existence of hydrocarbon in comets.

In this reaction the iodine of the iodide of ethyl combines with the zinc, and the hydrocarbon supposed to be ethyl is set free.

The residue contains any hydrocarbon oils or fats not converted into soap.

It is, therefore, a hydrocarbon of a very high degree of unsaturation.

hydrocarbon

Word Origin and History for hydrocarbon

n.

hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon

Origin of hydrocarbon