alkyl

noun/ˈælkɪl/

Frequency rank: #15,504 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

a univalent group derived from an alkane by the removal of one hydrogen atom, such as methyl or ethyl.

Illustration for the English word “alkyl”

Example sentence

The chemist attached alkyl groups to the molecule to increase its solubility in organic solvents.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 15,501–15,600