ethylene

noun eth·yl·ene \ ˈe-thə-ˌlēn \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

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

—

ethylenic

play \ˌe-thə-ˈlē-nik, -ˈle-nik\ adjective

See ethylene defined for kids

Recent Examples of ethylene from the Web

Ethane is a natural gas liquid used as a feedstock for ethylene, which is the building block for most plastics.

— katherine blunt, Houston Chronicle, "U.S. ethane consumption expected to boom," 20 Feb. 2018
Fruits like apples produce ethylene gas when ripe, which prompts all the other apples to ripen too.

— aliza abarbanel, Bon Appetit, "How to Store Vegetables in the Fridge so They Stay Super Fresh," 20 Feb. 2018
The project, expected to produce 2.2 billion pounds of ethylene annually, is now under construction and slated to start up in 2020.

— katherine blunt, Houston Chronicle, "Total forms Gulf Coast petrochemicals joint venture," 19 Feb. 2018
When a giraffe starts chewing acacia leaves, the tree notices the injury and emits a distress signal in the form of ethylene gas.

— diàna markosian, Smithsonian, "Do Trees Talk to Each Other?," 22 Feb. 2018
And all the while, bags are a tiny subset of the plastics industry. Sacks and bags made of ethylene represented less than 10 percent of plastics imported into the U.S. in 2016, according to the Plastics Industry Association.

— alex longley, Bloomberg.com, "The Obscure History—and Future—of the Plastic Bag," 8 Feb. 2018
The expansion will give Freeport the largest ethylene plant in the world.

— ryan maye handy, Houston Chronicle, "Power grid operator approves transmission project in Freeport," 14 Dec. 2017
The Old Ocean plant will take that ethylene produced in Baytown and turn it into plastic resin that's shipped both domestically and internationally.

— jordan blum, Houston Chronicle, "Chevron Phillips completes $6B petrochemical expansion," 21 Dec. 2017
Tomatoes ride in a truck surrounded by ethylene gas that turns them red but not really ripe.

— jonathan takiff, Philly.com, "Philly's hydroponic Metropolis Farms thrives, fueled by pot and biofuel research," 26 Dec. 2017

These 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.

First Known Use of ethylene

1849

Medical Dictionary

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

—

ethylenic

play \ˌeth-ə-ˈlē-nik, -ˈlen-ik\ adjective

—

ethylenically

play \-ˈlē-ni-k(ə-)lē, -ˈlen-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Learn More about ethylene

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ethylene

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ethylene

Definition of ethylene

ethylenic

Recent Examples of ethylene from the Web

First Known Use of ethylene

Medical Dictionary

ethylene

medical Definition of ethylene

ethylenic

ethylenically

Learn More about ethylene

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ethylene

Definition of ethylene

ethylenic

Recent Examples of ethylene from the Web

First Known Use of ethylene

Medical Dictionary

ethylene

medical Definition of ethylene

ethylenic

ethylenically

Learn More about ethylene

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