olefiant gas

[ oh-luh-fahy-uhnt, oh-lee-fee-, oh-lef-ee- ]

noun

1. ethylene ( def 2 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of olefiant gas¹

1800–10; part translation of French gaz oléfiant, equivalent to olé- (< Latin oleum oil ) + -fiant, present participle of -fier -fy; -ant

Example Sentences

As early as 1868 the astronomer William Huggins found an identity between some features in the spectrum of a comet and the spectrum of natural or “olefiant” gas.

From Literature

But for carbonic acid, nitrous oxide and olefiant gas, the values were much smaller, showing that these gases experienced a smaller change of temperature in compression.

From Project Gutenberg

About this time Dalton made analyses of two gaseous compounds of carbon—olefiant gas and carburetted hydrogen or marsh-gas.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the simplest members of the series, and that which is usually present in by far the largest amount, is called olefiant gas.

From Project Gutenberg

But besides olefiant gas there are minute quantities of other gases of the same series, having an analogous composition, but differing in the amount and relative proportions they contain of the two elements of which they are composed.

From Project Gutenberg