terpene

American  

[tur-peen] / ˈtɜr pin /

noun

Chemistry.

1. (originally) any of a class of monocyclic hydrocarbons of the formula C 10 H 16 , obtained from plants.

2. this class or any of its oxygenated derivatives, any hydrocarbon from the same source having the formula C 5 H 8 hemiterpene, the formula C 10 H 16 with an aliphatic structure acyclic terpene or two-ringed structure bicyclic terpene, the formula C 15 H 24 sesquiterpene, etc., and any of their oxygenated derivatives.

---

terpene British  

/ ˈtɜːpiːn /

noun

1. any one of a class of unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as the carotenes, that are found in the essential oils of many plants. Their molecules contain isoprene units and have the general formula (C 5 H 8 ) n

---

terpene Scientific  

/ tûr′pēn′ /

1. Any of a class of hydrocarbons consisting of two or more isoprene (C ₅ H ₈) units joined together. Simple terpenes are found in the essential oils and resins of plants such as conifers. Turpentine, for example, is such an oil. More complex terpenes include vitamin A, carotenoid pigments (such as lycopene), squalene, and rubber. Terpenes are used in organic synthesis.

---

Other Word Forms

• terpeneless adjective
• terpenic adjective

Etymology

Origin of terpene

1865–70; alteration of terebene, with p from turpentine

Example Sentences

Males of the sandfly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, use terpene pheromones to lure females and other males to mating sites.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2024

Wormwood contains a compound known as thujones, which is a terpene.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2023

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

From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2021

But throw in pinene, the terpene that gives a pine woods its scent, and “all of a sudden that’s gone. You’re clear. You have no problem remembering anything.”

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2020

The fact that rosin spirit yields a different cymene is, he considers, an argument against the view which has more than once been put forward, that rosin is directly derived from terpene.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 275, April 9, 1881 by Various