tetrafluoroethylene

American

[te-truh-floor-oh-eth-uh-leen, -flawr-, -flohr-] / ˌtɛ trəˌflʊər oʊˈɛθ əˌlin, -ˌflɔr-, -ˌfloʊr- /

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless, water-insoluble, flammable gas, C 2 F 4 , used in the synthesis of certain polymeric resins, as Teflon.

Etymology

Origin of tetrafluoroethylene

First recorded in 1930–35; tetra- + fluoro- + ethylene

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

tetrafluoroethylene

Bank, Allegiant—use something called ETFE, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, a lightweight plastic membrane stretched across steel cables.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The stadium’s roof is clad in ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, or ETFE, a tough, translucent plastic that shades fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2022

Teflon is prepared by the polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Like the aquatics center in Beijing built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the southern half of the stadium's roof will be built with a material known as ETFE, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene.

From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2013

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023