methylene

[ meth-uh-leen ]

adjectiveChemistry.
  1. containing the methylene group.

Origin of methylene

1
<French méthylène (coined in 1834), equivalent to Greek méth(y) wine (see mead1) + hýl(ē) wood + French -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

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British Dictionary definitions for methylene

methylene

/ (ˈmɛθɪˌliːn) /


noun
  1. (modifier) of, consisting of, or containing the divalent group of atoms =CH 2: a methylene group or radical

Origin of methylene

1
C19: from French méthylène, from Greek methu wine + hulē wood + -ene : originally referring to a substance distilled from wood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for methylene

methylene

[ mĕthə-lēn′ ]


  1. A bivalent hydrocarbon radical, CH2. Because it has two unshared electrons, it is extremely reactive and occurs only as an intermediate byproduct in chemical reactions. Methylene is a component of unsaturated hydrocarbons.

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