tetraethyl lead
noun
tet·ra·eth·yl lead
ˌte-trə-ˌe-thəl-ˈled 
: a heavy oily poisonous liquid Pb(C2H5)4 used especially formerly as an antiknock agent
Examples of tetraethyl lead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the 1920s, a decade of robust American growth in every direction, this new substance—known as tetraethyl lead gasoline—quite literally fueled more powerful cars, more prosperous cities and a country on the rise.
—
Daniel Stone, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025
Starting in the 1920s, oil companies began adding tetraethyl lead to gasoline to reduce engine knocking.
—Rachel Silverman Bonnifield, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2024
Lead pollution rose throughout the Industrial Revolution, but exposure skyrocketed after the first gallon of gasoline with tetraethyl lead was sold in 1923.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
The avgas market is dominated by about eight US refineries and one (troubled) UK company producing the world’s supply of tetraethyl lead.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
The new fuel was tetraethyl lead.
—Bill Kovarik, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2021
The dark truth about Ethyl is that everyone involved in its creation had seen incontrovertible evidence that tetraethyl lead was shockingly harmful to humans.
—Steven Johnson, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023
Virtually every small airplane in the US burns fuel containing tetraethyl lead (TEL), an additive introduced in the 1920s to boost octane levels.
—David Yanofsky, Quartz, 16 June 2022
But humanity didn’t enter uncharted territory until the first gallon of gasoline was sold with tetraethyl lead in 1923.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
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Daniel Stone, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025
Starting in the 1920s, oil companies began adding tetraethyl lead to gasoline to reduce engine knocking.
—Rachel Silverman Bonnifield, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2024
Lead pollution rose throughout the Industrial Revolution, but exposure skyrocketed after the first gallon of gasoline with tetraethyl lead was sold in 1923.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
The avgas market is dominated by about eight US refineries and one (troubled) UK company producing the world’s supply of tetraethyl lead.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
The new fuel was tetraethyl lead.
—Bill Kovarik, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2021
The dark truth about Ethyl is that everyone involved in its creation had seen incontrovertible evidence that tetraethyl lead was shockingly harmful to humans.
—Steven Johnson, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023
Virtually every small airplane in the US burns fuel containing tetraethyl lead (TEL), an additive introduced in the 1920s to boost octane levels.
—David Yanofsky, Quartz, 16 June 2022
But humanity didn’t enter uncharted territory until the first gallon of gasoline was sold with tetraethyl lead in 1923.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Tetraethyl lead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetraethyl%20lead. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tetraethyl lead
noun
tet·ra·eth·yl lead
ˌte-trə-ˌeth-əl-ˈled
: a heavy oily poisonous liquid added to gasoline to prevent engines from knocking
Medical Definition
tetraethyl lead
noun
tet·ra·eth·yl lead
ˌte-trə-ˌeth-əl-ˈled
: a heavy oily poisonous liquid Pb(C2H5)4 used as an antiknock agent in gasoline
called also lead tetraethyl
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