[eth-uh-leen] 
Chemistry| 1. | containing the ethylene group. |
| 2. | Also called ethene, olefiant gas. a colorless, flammable gas, C2H4, having a sweet, unpleasant odor and taste, the first member of the ethylene series, usually obtained from petroleum and natural gas: used as an agent to improve the color of citrus fruits, in the synthesis of polyethylene, ethylene dibromide, ethylene oxide, and other organic compounds, and in medicine chiefly as an inhalation anesthetic. |
| eth·yl·ene (ěth'ə-lēn') n. A colorless flammable gas, C2H4, derived from natural gas and petroleum and used as a source of many organic compounds, in welding and cutting metals, to color citrus fruits, and as an anesthetic. Also called ethene. eth'yl·e'nic (-ə-lē'nĭk, -lěn'ĭk) adj. |
ethylene eth·yl·ene (ěth'ə-lēn')
n.
An explosive gas derived from natural gas and petroleum infrequently used as an inhalation anesthetic. Also called ethene.
The bivalent hydrocarbon radical C2H4 that is isomeric to the ethylidene radical.
əˌlin