ethylene dibromide

noun

ethylene di·​bro·​mide -(ˌ)dī-ˈbrō-ˌmīd 

: a colorless toxic liquid compound C₂H₄Br₂ that is used chiefly as a fuel additive in leaded gasolines, that has been found to be strongly carcinogenic in laboratory animals, and that was used formerly in the U.S. as an agricultural pesticide

—abbreviation EDB

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ethylene dibromide

noun

: a colorless toxic liquid compound C₂H₄Br₂ that has been shown by experiments with laboratory animals to be strongly carcinogenic and that was formerly used in the United States as an agricultural pesticide

—abbreviation EDB

called also ethylene bromide