ethane

noun

eth·​ane ˈe-ˌthān 

British usually

ˈē- 

: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C₂H₆ found in natural gas and used as a fuel

Examples of ethane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To figure out if enough methane and ethane escaped from these objects to no longer show up in their surface spectra, the scientists needed to estimate how much of these chemicals were originally trapped inside. —Victoria Corless, Space.com, 21 Mar. 2025

Candidates ranged from the liquid forms of methane and ethane, ammonia and carbon dioxide to even stranger possibilities like pitch and molten rock. —Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2025

Familiar examples include methane (one carbon atom per molecule), ethane (two carbons), and propane (three carbons). —IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2014

The industry’s plastic/polyester paralysis—primarily made with fracked ethane—is a not-so-fun fact that the majority of shoppers are oblivious to. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, from ethyl

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ethane

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids Definition

ethane

noun

eth·​ane ˈeth-ˌān 

: a colorless odorless gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen, is found in natural gas, and is used especially as a fuel

Medical Definition

ethane

noun

eth·​ane

ˈeth-ˌān, British ˈē-ˌthān

: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C₂H₆ found in natural gas and used especially as a fuel