methane
NounUS[meth-eyn]/ˈmɛˌθeɪn/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)
- a colorless odorless gas used as a fuelType of methane series, gasKinds marsh gasSubstance of natural gas, gas
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Meth′ane noun
Origin: See Methal.
Chemistry A light, colorless, gaseous, inflammable hydrocarbon, CH4; marsh gas. It is the simplest of the aliphatic hydrocarbons. See Marsh gas, under Gas.
Methane series Chemistry, a series of saturated hydrocarbons, of which methane is the first member and type, and (because of their general chemical inertness and indifference) called also the paraffin (little affinity) series. The lightest members are gases, as methane, ethane; intermediate members are liquids, as hexane, heptane, etc. (found in benzine, kerosene, etc.); while the highest members are white, waxy, or fatty solids, as paraffin proper.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54