tetrafluoroethylene

[ te-truh-floor-oh-eth-uh-leen, -flawr-, -flohr- ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a colorless, water-insoluble, flammable gas, C 2 F 4 , used in the synthesis of certain polymeric resins, as Teflon.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrafluoroethylene¹

First recorded in 1930–35; tetra- + fluoro- + ethylene