hydrocarbon

[hahy-druh-kahr-buhn, hahy-druh-kahr-]

noun

1. any of a class of compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon, as an alkane, methane, CH 4 , an alkene, ethylene, C 2 H 4 , an alkyne, acetylene, C 2 H 2 , or an aromatic compound, benzene, C 6 H 6 .

hydrocarbon

/ ˌhaɪdrəʊˈkɑːbən /

noun

1. any organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen, such as the alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, terpenes, and arenes

hydrocarbon

1. Any of numerous organic compounds, such as benzene, that contain only carbon and hydrogen.

Other Word Forms

• hydrocarbonaceous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydrocarbon¹

First recorded in 1820–30; hydro- ² + carbon

Example Sentences

Oyster mushrooms excel at chomping down contaminants such as hydrocarbons — even cigarette butts.

From Los Angeles Times

"We started noticing a couple of things, from time to time actually seeing hydrocarbons being detected within the spring waters themselves," says the academic, who has studied the area for several years.

From BBC

Since the start of that invasion in February 2022, Russia has made more than three times as much money by exporting hydrocarbons than Ukraine has received in aid allocated by its allies.

From BBC

Another had high levels of a class of contaminants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which can cause headaches, coughing, skin irritation and, over long periods of exposure, can come with an increased risk of cancer.

From Los Angeles Times

In the Palisades burn area, tests found little contamination beyond some isolated “hot spots” of heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, Roux’s vice president and principal scientist Adam Love said last week.

From Los Angeles Times