ethanol

noun

eth·​a·​nol ˈe-thə-ˌnȯl  -ˌnōl 

British also ˈē-

: a colorless volatile flammable liquid C₂H₅OH that is the intoxicating agent in liquors and is also used as a solvent and in fuel

called also ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol

Examples of ethanol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The ethanol gives the air a faint solvent edge, and every couple of years, thousands of liters are added to the tank and allowed to evaporate slowly. —Deena Theresa, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026

After that, it was transferred to a 95% ethanol solution for storage, to be catalogued and saved in the collection of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 25 May 2026

The intensive land use required to grow corn for ethanol has its own effects on water quality and fertilizer use as well, Runge says. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 22 May 2026

There, the heat is transferred to steam that powers boilers, distillers and other machinery used in production of ethanol and a host of other byproducts generated at the POET plant. —Bart Pfankuch, South Dakota News Watch, 21 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ethanol

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol
• guaiacol

Kids Definition

ethanol

noun

eth·​a·​nol ˈeth-ə-ˌnȯl 

-ˌnōl

: a colorless flammable easily evaporated liquid that is used to dissolve things and that is the substance in fermented and distilled liquors that can make one drunk

called also ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol

Medical Definition

ethanol

noun

eth·​a·​nol ˈeth-ə-ˌnȯl  -ˌnōl 

: a colorless volatile flammable liquid C₂H₅OH that is the intoxicating agent in liquors and is also used as a solvent

called also ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol

see alcohol sense 1