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

Those plastic dunes could be used to construct surface-level habitats, and the ethane and methane lakes could power them. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 8 Mar. 2026

Lodaya noted his previous reservations for Westlake, as well as the broad ethylene sector, included a shrinking ethane advantage and unfavorable polyethylene supply-demand dynamics. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026

Natural gas powers much of the world, but its core components, methane, ethane, and propane, have resisted direct conversion into useful chemicals. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Nov. 2025

Shortly before the July 4th holiday, US Commerce officials notified major ethane producers the export controls had been rescinded. —Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 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