ethylene

American  

[eth-uh-leen] / ˈɛθ əˌlin /

adjective

1. containing the ethylene group.

---

noun

1. Also called ethene, olefiant gas.  a colorless, flammable gas, C 2 H 4 , 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.

ethylene British  

/ ˈɛθɪˌliːn, ˌɛθɪˈliːnɪk /

noun

1. Also called: ethene.  a colourless flammable gaseous alkene with a sweet odour, obtained from petroleum and natural gas and used in the manufacture of polythene and many other chemicals. Formula: CH 2 :CH 2

---

ethylene Scientific  

/ ĕth′ə-lēn′ /

1. A colorless, flammable gas that occurs naturally in certain plants and can be obtained from petroleum and natural gas. As a plant hormone, it ripens and colors fruit, and it is manufactured for use in agriculture to speed these processes. It is also used as a fuel and in making plastics. Ethylene is the simplest alkene, consisting of two carbon atoms joined by a double bond and each attached to two hydrogen atoms. Also called ethene. Chemical formula: C ₂ H ₄ .

---

Other Word Forms

• ethylenic adjective

Etymology

Origin of ethylene

First recorded in 1850–55; ethyl + -ene

Example Sentences

That causes the molecule to crack into hydrogen and ethylene, the basic building block of plastics such as polyethylene.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

This isolates the ethylene, resulting in a highly pure product.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Derivatives from petrochemicals - such as methanol and ethylene - are vital materials in the global production of pharmaceuticals, including painkillers, antibiotics and vaccines.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

An estimated 50% of sterile medical devices in the U.S. are treated with ethylene oxide.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Ethane, when heated to this degree, splits up into ethylene and hydrogen, whilst ethylene decomposes to methane and acetylene, and the acetylene at once polymerizes to benzene, styrolene, retene, &c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various