benzine

American  

[ben-zeen, ben-zeen] / ˈbɛn zin, bɛnˈzin /

Also benzin

noun

1. a colorless, volatile, flammable, liquid mixture of various hydrocarbons, obtained in the distillation of petroleum, and used in cleaning, dyeing, etc.

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benzine British  

/ ˈbɛnziːn, ˈbɛnzɪn, bɛnˈziːn /

noun

1. a volatile mixture of the lighter aliphatic hydrocarbon constituents of petroleum See ligroin petroleum ether

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Etymology

Origin of benzine

First recorded in 1850–55; benz- + -ine ²

Example Sentences

They wanted the gasoline — the benzine — that was leaking out of the plane and ran toward them with buckets to collect the fuel.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2021

The smell of benzine wafts up from the water trough.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2014

Supreme Court in 2013 of polluting groundwater in the area with toxic benzine, has sponsored the cleanup as part of its corporate social responsibility campaign.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2014

Travis B. Smythe, 26, Thornton, Tex., oil refinery chemist, found the fumes of boiling benzine "rather pleasant," not realizing that they were attacking his spleen, causing him pernicious anemia, and hemorrhages of his mucous membranes.

From Time Magazine Archive

In paints of the dipping type where rapid evaporation is essential, benzine finds its widest application.

From Paint Technology and Tests by Gardner, Henry A.