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hydrocarbon

[ hahy-druh-kahr-buhn, hahy-druh-kahr- ]
/ ˌhaɪ drəˈkɑr bən, ˈhaɪ drəˌkɑr- /
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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.
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Origin of hydrocarbon

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hydrocarbon

hy·dro·car·bo·na·ceous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hydrocarbon in a sentence

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

Scientific definitions for hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon
[ hī′drə-kärbən ]

Any of numerous organic compounds, such as benzene, that contain only carbon and hydrogen.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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