limonene

American  

[lim-uh-neen] / ˈlɪm əˌnin /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a liquid terpene, C 40 H 16 , occurring in two optically different forms, the dextrorotatory form being present in the essential oils of lemon, orange, etc., and the levorotatory form in Douglas fir needle oil.

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limonene British  

/ ˈlɪməˌniːn /

noun

1. a liquid optically active terpene with a lemon-like odour, found in lemon, orange, peppermint, and other essential oils and used as a wetting agent and in the manufacture of resins. Formula: C 10 H 16

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Etymology

Origin of limonene

1835–45; < New Latin Limon ( um ) lemon + -ene

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

limonene

Candidatus Velamenicoccus archaeovorus feeds on microorganisms that convert limonene, the compound responsible for the scent of oranges, into methane and carbon dioxide.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

So would cleaning in the morning or evening, when ozone levels tend to be lower, and avoiding products with limonene or other kinds of terpenes.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 24, 2022

With a heavy limonene terpene profile, Super Lemon Haze pairs perfectly with fish, specifically salmon.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 1, 2021

Instead of awkward discussions about children, careers, and politics, conversation revolved around such matters as the likely source of the limonene that one of the instruments had registered at lunchtime.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 1, 2019

The principal constituents of the oil are limonene and citral, together with small quantities of pinene, phellandrene, octyl and nonyl aldehydes, citronellal, geraniol, geranyl acetate, and the stearopten, citraptene.

From The Handbook of Soap Manufacture by W. H. Simmons

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