Origin: < F méthylène (coined in 1834), equiv. to Gk méth(y) wine (see mead1) + hýl(ē) wood + F -ène-ene, taken to mean “wood-spirits” (vin ou liqueur spiritueuse du bois), though elements of the compound are in the wrong order to give this sense
Main Entry: meth·y·lene Pronunciation: 'meth-&-"lEn, -l&n Function: noun : a bivalent hydrocarbon radical CH2 derived frommethane by removal of two hydrogen atoms
methylene meth·yl·ene (měth'ə-lēn') n. A bivalent hydrocarbon radical, CH2, that is a component of unsaturated hydrocarbons and is derived from methane by the removal of two hydrogen atoms.