ethylene

noun/ˈɛθəliːn/

Frequency rank: #14,189 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

A colorless flammable gas produced naturally by plants that promotes fruit ripening, also widely used in the chemical industry.

Illustration for the English word “ethylene”

Example sentence

Fruits ripen faster when exposed to ethylene, a natural gas released by the plants themselves.

Synonyms & related words

  • ethene

More words in ranks 14,101–14,200