pyrene
1[ pahy-reen, pahy-reen ]
/ ˈpaɪ rin, paɪˈrin /
Save This Word!
noun Botany.
a putamen or stone, especially when there are several in a single fruit; a nutlet.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of pyrene
11830–40; <New Latin pȳrēna<Greek pȳrḗn fruit stone
Words nearby pyrene
Definition for pyrene (2 of 2)
pyrene2
[ 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for pyrene
British Dictionary definitions for pyrene (1 of 2)
pyrene1
/ (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)
pyrene2
/ (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