Etymograph

English

alkane

Alkane comes from German Alkan, and goes back to Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη ‘wood’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῡ̔́ληhū́lē‘wood’
  2. Germanc. 1650–presentAlkyl
  3. German, derivedc. 1650–presentAlkan
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1997alkane

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῡ̔́ληhū́lē‘wood’
  2. Germanc. 1650–presentAlkyl
  3. German, derivedc. 1650–presentAlkan
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1997alkane

Earliest quotation: 1997, T. J. Savage, M. K. Hristova: “Whereas production levels of short-chain alkanes in plants are…”

Formed from alkyl + -ane

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *swel-

swell, swollen, dimethyl, swole, swill, diethyl, 31 more

through Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη ‘wood’

methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, phenyl, ethane, 20 more

Today it means

noun Any acyclic saturated hydrocarbon (methane, ethane, etc.).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη / alkane

Shirt and support for this word