ethane

noun

eth·​ane ˈe-ˌthān 

British usually

ˈē- 

: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C₂H₆ found in natural gas and used as a fuel

Examples of ethane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And then there is Saturn’s moon Titan, with lakes full of liquid methane and ethane that might boast more exotic forms of life. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 May 2014

Enterprise Products Partners temporarily banned ethane exports to only major exporter of ethane Explore this year's list. —Jordan Blum, Fortune, 28 July 2025

Under the deal, the US would lift its export curbs on chips software, the chemical ethane and other goods, while China would approve the exports of rare earths to the US. —John Liu, CNN Money, 3 July 2025

Bloomberg reports that ethane and liquified petroleum gas are among the goods that could potentially get an exemption, while CNN reports that China has quietly rolled back tariffs on semiconductors. —Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, from ethyl

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ethane

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids Definition

ethane

noun

eth·​ane ˈeth-ˌān 

: a colorless odorless gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen, is found in natural gas, and is used especially as a fuel

Medical Definition

ethane

noun

eth·​ane

ˈeth-ˌān, British ˈē-ˌthān

: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C₂H₆ found in natural gas and used especially as a fuel