hydrocarbon

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

/ ˌhaɪ drəˈkɑr bən, ˈhaɪ drəˌkɑr- /

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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for hydrocarbon

The hydrocarbon bonanza in the United States gives Obama a significant opportunity.
A Foreign-Policy Cheat Sheet for Obama|Martin Indyk|January 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
It is therefore isomeric with the hydrocarbon of caoutchouc and with that of oil of turpentine.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6|Various

An example of a hydrocarbon or compound of carbon and hydrogen, is marsh gas (methane) or firedamp, CH4.
The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing|Watson Smith
Consider now the combustion of a hydrocarbon of the general formula CnH2m.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various
What happens chemically when a hydrocarbon is burned in a Bunsen burner?
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 4|Various
This increases the range of hydrocarbon fuels the engine can utilize.
The First Airplane Diesel Engine: Packard Model DR-980 of 1928|Robert B. Meyer

British Dictionary definitions for hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon

/ (ˌhaɪdrəʊˈkɑːbən) /

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

hydrocarbon

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

Medicine definitions for hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon

[ hī′drə-kär′bən ]

n.

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

Science definitions for hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon

[ hī′drə-kär′bən ]

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