trichloroethylene

[ trahy-klawr-oh-eth-uh-leen, -klohr- ]

nounChemistry.
  1. a colorless, poisonous liquid, C2HCl3, used chiefly as a degreasing agent for metals and as a solvent, especially in dry cleaning, for fats, oils, and waxes.Abbreviation: TCE

Origin of trichloroethylene

1
First recorded in 1915–20; tri- + chloro-2 + ethylene

Words Nearby trichloroethylene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for trichloroethylene

trichloroethylene

trichlorethylene

/ (traɪˌklɔːrəʊˈɛθɪˌliːn) /


noun
  1. a volatile nonflammable mobile colourless liquid with an odour resembling that of chloroform. It is a good solvent for certain organic materials and is also an inhalation anaesthetic. Formula CHCl:CCl 2

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

Scientific definitions for trichloroethylene

trichloroethylene

[ trī-klôr′ō-ĕthə-lēn′ ]


  1. A heavy, colorless, toxic liquid. It is used to degrease metals, to extract oil from nuts and fruit, as a refrigerant, in dry cleaning, and as a fumigant. Chemical formula: C2HCl3.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.