methane

[meth-eyn, mee-theyn]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, odorless, flammable gas, CH 4 , the main constituent of marsh gas and the firedamp of coal mines, obtained commercially from natural gas: the first member of the methane, or alkane, series of hydrocarbons.

methane

/ ˈmiːθeɪn /

noun

1. a colourless odourless flammable gas, the simplest alkane and the main constituent of natural gas: used as a fuel. Formula: CH 4 See also marsh gas firedamp

methane

1. A colorless, odorless, flammable gas that is the simplest hydrocarbon. It is the major constituent of natural gas and is released during the decomposition of plant or other organic compounds, as in marshes and coal mines. Methane is the first member of the alkane series. Chemical formula: CH ₄ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of methane¹

First recorded in 1865–70; meth- + -ane

Word History and Origins

Origin of methane¹

C19: from _meth ( _yl ) + _-ane

Example Sentences

In addition, as it rots, the wasted food emits in the U.S. alone over 4 million metric tons of methane – a heat-trapping greenhouse gas.

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Hydrothermal vents and methane seeps typically appear in separate locations on the seafloor.

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California is considering adopting new rules to better identify and more quickly to respond to dangerous methane leaks and underground fires at landfills statewide.

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And, in the San Francisco Bay Area, burrowing rodents may be digging into entombed trash at a landfill-turned-park, unloosing explosive levels of methane.

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Food and other organic waste sent to landfills is a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

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