Ethane
/ˈiː.θeɪn/noun
A colorless, flammable hydrocarbon gas in the alkane series, found in natural gas and used as a petrochemical feedstock.
Did you know?The name was coined in the 19th century by adding the alkane suffix -ane to a carbon-chain root based on Greek aither, the upper air or bright sky, so even modern chemistry carries a word once tied to the heavens.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
aithḗr
“the upper, bright air of the heavens”
18th Century
Latin/English
ether
“the volatile chemical substance named from the classical idea of the upper air”
19th Century
English
eth-
“a chemical root used in naming carbon compounds”
19th Century
English
ethane
“a two-carbon alkane, named within the emerging system of organic chemistry”
Modern English
English
ethane
“a simple hydrocarbon gas”