ethanol

Etymology

Contracted from ethyl + alcohol. Ethyl is from Ancient Greek αἰθήρ (aithḗr, “ether”), influenced by German Äthyl. May be decomposed as ethane + -ol.

noun

  1. (organic chemistry) A simple aliphatic alcohol formally derived from ethane by replacing one hydrogen atom with a hydroxyl group: CH₃-CH₂-OH.
  2. Specifically, this alcohol as a fuel.
    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. 2010 January 26, Ted Strickland, Ohio State of the State Address, 05:25–39

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/ethanol), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.