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hydrocarbon

[ hahy-druh-kahr-buhn, 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.

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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

Words nearby hydrocarbon

hydrobomb, hydrobromic, hydrobromic acid, hydrobromide, hydrocalycosis, hydrocarbon, hydrocarbons, hydrocast, hydrocele, hydrocelectomy, hydrocele spinalis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for hydrocarbon

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

Medical definitions for hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon
[ hī′drə-kär′bən ]

n.

An organic compound, such as benzene and methane, that contains only carbon and hydrogen.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for hydrocarbon

hydrocarbon
[ hī′drə-kär′bən ]

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.