Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

terpene

/ˈtɜː(ɹ)piːn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.95 in modern English

Syllables: ter-pene
IPA: /ˈtɜː(ɹ)piːn/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of a very large class of naturally occurring and synthetic organic compounds formally derived from the hydrocarbon isoprene; they include many volatile compounds used in perfume and food flavours, turpentine, the steroids, the carotene pigments and rubber.

Example Sentences

"Naval stores production is based upon exploiting the terpene chemical defense system of the pine tree, which protects against wood-decaying fungi and insect pests such as bark beetles (Dendroctonus Ips sp.). […] Pine oleoresin is a complex mixture of about 30 to 50 different terpene molecules, chiefly composed of diterpene resin acids and monoterpene essential oils, which impart different physical and biotic properties (Zinkel and Russell 1989)."

Etymology

From German Terpen, coined by August Kekulé in 1866 in analogy to German Terpentin, from Latin terebinthina. Piecewise doublet of terpin; compare also terebinth and turpentine.

Origin

Source language: German

Word Breakdown

Root: Terpen, Terpentin, terebinthina

Inflected Forms

terpenes (plural)

Derived Forms

hemiterpene homoterpene meroterpene terp terpenic terpenome

Phrases

pine terpene terpenylic acid

Frequently Paired Words

terpane terpenoid terpeneless

Questions

How do you pronounce terpene?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɜː(ɹ)piːn/.
What does terpene mean?: Any of a very large class of naturally occurring and synthetic organic compounds formally derived from the hydrocarbon isoprene; they include many volatile compounds used in perfume and food flavours, turpentine, the steroids, the carotene pigments and rubber.
Where does terpene come from?: It is traced to German.

How to pronounce terpene

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “terpene”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtɜː(ɹ)piːn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “terpene”.
Repeat and practice — Say “terpene” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.