Methyl Definition

mĕthəl
noun
The monovalent hydrocarbon radical CH3, normally existing only in combination, as in methanol.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
  • methyl radical
  • methyl group
adjective
Relating to or being the simplest hydrocarbon unit, CH3 , that can occur as a substituent in an organic compound or as an ion or radical.
American Heritage
prefix
(organic chemistry) Used to form terms describing the attachment of a methyl group.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Methyl

Noun

Singular:
methyl
Plural:
methyls

Origin of Methyl

  • French chemists Jean-Baptiste Dumas and Eugene Peligot, after determining methanol's chemical structure, introduced "methylene" from the Ancient Greek μέθυ (methy, “wine") + ὕλη (hulÄ“, “wood (patch of trees)") with the intention of highlighting its origins, "alcohol made from wood (substance)", but with Greek language errors: the Greek for "wood (substance)" is xylo- (Ancient Greek ξύλον (ksulon, “wood")). The term "methyl" was derived in about 1840 by back-formation from "methylene", and was then applied to describe "methyl alcohol".

    From Wiktionary

  • French méthyle back-formation from méthylène methylene methylene

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From the German Methyl; compare the French méthyle.

    From Wiktionary

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