pyrene

[ pahy-reen, pahy-reen ]

/ ˈpaɪ rin, paɪˈrin /

noun Botany.

a putamen or stone, especially when there are several in a single fruit; a nutlet.

Nearby words

Origin of pyrene

1830–40; < New Latin pȳrēna < Greek pȳrḗn fruit stone

Definition for pyrene (2 of 2)

pyrene

[ pahy-reen ]

/ ˈpaɪ rin /

noun Chemistry.

a polycyclic, aromatic crystalline hydrocarbon, C16H10, consisting of four fused benzene rings, found in coal tar and believed to be carcinogenic.

Origin of pyrene

First recorded in 1880–85; pyr- + -ene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pyrene

Pyrene, Pyrena, a seed-like nutlet or stone of a small drupe.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Pyrene, a fountain in Corinth, consecrated also to the Muses.
Dryden's Works (13 of 18): Translations; Pastorals|John Dryden
Then the pyrene extinguisher fell out, and I had to rescue it from under the nose of a tram.
Across the Prairie in a Motor Caravan|Frances Halton Eva Hasell
Farther on the hero came upon another monster in his way, Cycnus, the son of Mars and Pyrene.
Famous Tales of Fact and Fancy|Various

Pyrene, a crystalline substance obtained from coal tar, fats, &c.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia|Edited by Rev. James Wood

British Dictionary definitions for pyrene (1 of 2)

pyrene

/ (ˈpaɪriːn) /

noun

a solid polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon extracted from coal tar. Formula: C 16 H 10

Word Origin for pyrene

C19: from pyro- + -ene

British Dictionary definitions for pyrene (2 of 2)

pyrene

/ (ˈpaɪriːn) /

noun

botany any of several small hard stones that occur in a single fruit and contain a single seed each

Word Origin for pyrene

C19: from New Latin pyrena, from Greek purēn

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