methane

[ meth-eyn; British mee-theyn ]

/ ˈmɛθ eɪn; British ˈmi θeɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR methane ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Chemistry.

a colorless, odorless, flammable gas, CH4, 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.

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Question 1 of 10

In order, what parts of speech are the words in all capital letters? Alisa was VERY tired, SO she decided to go to bed.

adverb, adverb

adverb, conjunction

adjective, conjunction

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Origin of methane

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

Words nearby methane

methaemoglobin, methamphetamine, methamphetamine hydrochloride, methanal, methanation, methane, methane series, methanesulfonic acid, methanogen, methanoic acid, methanol

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for methane

That can happen, according to the report, when (flammable) methane leaks out of fracking wells and into drinking water.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban|Jay Michaelson|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Methane could be produced by microbes on Mars, too, if they exist in enough numbers.
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas?|Matthew R. Francis|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Methane (chemical formula CH4) is one of the simplest hydrocarbons, which literally means “containing hydrogen and carbon.”
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas?|Matthew R. Francis|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Methane is a familiar chemical, whether you know it by that name or not.
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas?|Matthew R. Francis|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Perhaps the mysterious Martian methane, and its strange fluctuations, are part of that story.
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas?|Matthew R. Francis|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
In the case of methane, CH4, the formula is not true, but the error is not great enough to seriously affect the result.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 514, November 7, 1885|Various
Now Jon flapped his slitherers down and began to glide away from the methane falls and up the nearly vertical mountain slope.
Captives of the Flame|Samuel R. Delany
For a moment let us turn back to the commencement of the chapter to the subject of methane.
The Romance of War Inventions|Thomas W. Corbin
Aluminum carbide yields alumina and methane (marsh gas), another hydro-carbon, the chief constituent of natural gas.
The Popular Science Monthly, July, 1900|Various

British Dictionary definitions for methane

methane

/ (ˈmiːθeɪn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for methane

C19: from meth (yl) + -ane

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 methane

methane

[ mĕth′ān′ ]

n.

An odorless, colorless, flammable gas that is the major constituent of natural gas and is used as a fuel and as an important source of hydrogen.marsh gas

Scientific definitions for methane

methane

[ mĕth′ān′ ]

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: CH4.