acetylene

Etymology

Borrowed from French acétylène, coined by French chemist Marcellin Berthelot, from acetyl.

noun

1. (organic chemistry, countable) Any organic compound having one or more carbon–carbon triple bonds; an alkyne.
2. (organic chemistry, uncountable) Ethyne; the simplest alkyne, a hydrocarbon of formula HC≡CH. It is a colourless, odorless, extremely flammable, explosive gas, formerly used as an illuminating gas, but now used in welding and metallurgy.
3. A lamp powered by acetylene, particularly a motor vehicle headlight.
   Mrs. Winnie had kindly sent her limousine car for them, and it stood throbbing in front of the hotel-entrance, its acetylenes streaming far up the street. 1908, Upton Sinclair, The Metropolis, New York: Moffat, Yard & Company, page 69