ethanol
/ˈɛθ.ə.nɑl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.46 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A simple aliphatic alcohol formally derived from ethane by replacing one hydrogen atom with a hydroxyl group: CH₃-CH₂-OH.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Our stomachs and livers have an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase that breaks down ethanol to make it less toxic for our bodies, said Atlanta gastroenterologist Dr. Preston Stewart."
- "In 2007, not one drop of ethanol was produced in Ohio. Today, four ethanol facilities in Ohio are producing two hundred and ninety-five million gallons annually."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eydʰ-der. Proto-Hellenic *áitʰō Ancient Greek αἴθω (aíthō) ▲ Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)influ.? Ancient Greek αἰθήρ (aithḗr)der. Latin aethērbor. German Äther German Ether Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. German -yl German Ethylbor. English ethyl Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor. Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor. Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl) Andalusian Arabic كُحُول (kuḥūl)bor. Medieval Latin alcoholbor. Middle English alcofol English alcohol ▲ English ethyl English eth- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānusder. English -ane English ethane ▲ English alcohol English -ol English ethanol Contracted from ethyl + alcohol. Ethyl is from Ancient Greek αἰθήρ (aithḗr, “ether”), influenced by German Äthyl. May be decomposed as ethane + -ol.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɛθ.ə.nɑl/
- British English: /ˈɛθ.ə.nɒl/