ethylene
noun
eth·​yl·​ene
| \ ˈe-thə-ˌlēn
\
\
Definition of ethylene
1
: a colorless flammable gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbon C2H4 that is found in coal gas, can be produced by pyrolysis of petroleum hydrocarbons, and occurs in plants functioning especially as a natural growth regulator that promotes the ripening of fruit
2
: a divalent hydrocarbon group C2H4 derived from ethane
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Other Words from ethylene
ethylenic
\ ˌe-​thə-​ˈlē-​nik
, -​ˈle-​nik \
adjective
, -​ˈle-​nik \
adjective
Examples of ethylene in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The wells are also yielding vast amounts of gas liquids, especially ethane, the basic feedstock for producing ethylene and polyethylene, which are used to manufacture plastic. — Keith Schneider, ProPublica, "West Virginia Bets Big on Plastics, and on Backing of Trump Administration," 31 July 2019 According to records kept by the Environmental Protection Agency, the plant had 68 tons of ethylene on site in 2017. — NBC News, "66 people receiving medical attention after ExxonMobil refinery explosion in Texas," 31 July 2019 According to records kept by the Environmental Protection Agency, the plant had 68 tons (69 metric tons) of ethylene on site in 2017. — Washington Post, "Fire at Texas Exxon Mobil refinery slightly injures 37," 31 July 2019 According to records kept by the Environmental Protection Agency, the plant had 68 tons of ethylene on site in 2017. — Juan A. Lozano, USA TODAY, "Explosion, fire injures 37 at Exxon Mobil refinery in Texas," 31 July 2019 The only problem is the refrigerator can’t contain any ethylene-producing fruits like apples and melons. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "How to make your lilacs bloom like crazy next summer," 20 June 2019 This traps the natural ethylene gases that many fruits release, and that speeds up the ripening process. — Washington Post, "Hints From Heloise: Don’t give out clues to your identity," 5 July 2019 The fruit emits ethylene gas and trapping that within the bag will help the fruit ripen. — Becca Miller, Good Housekeeping, "How to Ripen Peaches for Perfect Summer Fruit Every Time," 28 June 2019 Nova Chemicals has 2,900 globally and makes polyethylene and ethylene, some of the most common plastics. — Marissa Luck, Houston Chronicle, "Reports: Chevron Phillips offers to buy Nova Chemicals for $15B," 21 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ethylene.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ethylene
ethylene
noun
eth·​yl·​ene
| \ ˈeth-ə-ˌlēn
\
\
Medical Definition of ethylene
1
: a colorless flammable gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbon C2H4 that is found in coal gas, can be produced by pyrolysis of petroleum hydrocarbons, is used in medicine as a general inhalation anesthetic, and occurs in plants functioning especially as a natural growth regulator that promotes the ripening of fruit
— called also ethene
2
: a divalent hydrocarbon group C2H4 derived from ethane
Other Words from ethylene
ethylenic
\ ˌeth-​ə-​ˈlē-​nik
, -​ˈlen-​ik
\
adjective
, -​ˈlen-​ik
\
adjective
ethylenically
\ -​ˈlē-​ni-​k(ə-​)lē
, -​ˈlen-​i-​k(ə-​)lē
\
adverb
, -​ˈlen-​i-​k(ə-​)lē
\
adverb