Xylene
/ˈzaɪ.liːn/noun
A colorless, flammable liquid hydrocarbon used as a solvent and in chemical manufacturing.
Did you know?The word was coined in the 19th century from Greek xýlon, meaning “wood,” because xylene was first associated with wood tar and related distillation products.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰel-
“No established direct root for the modern chemical name is usually traced here; the name instead comes through Greek xýlon.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ξύλον (xýlon)
“wood; a piece of wood; timber”
19th Century
French/German scientific Latin
xylène / Xylol
“a chemical name formed from the Greek word for wood, used for an aromatic hydrocarbon”
Modern English
English
xylene
“an aromatic hydrocarbon used chiefly as a solvent”