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

That's precisely where most of Titan’s lakes and seas are located — probably replenished by methane and ethane rain. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025

China has reportedly granted tariff exemptions to certain U.S. goods, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace equipment, semiconductors and ethane imports. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2025

Bloomberg reported last week that the Chinese government is considering lifting levies for certain medical devices and industrial chemicals like ethane. —Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025

The government is considering scrapping the extra duties on items including medical equipment and industrial chemicals such as ethane. —Chloe Taylor,ganesh Rao, CNBC, 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