Etymology

benzonitrile

B3E1N1Z10O1N1I1T1R1I1L1E1

Today it means: The aromatic nitrile C₆H₅-CN; used as a solvent and has many industrial applications. Full definition →

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The story

From benzo- + nitr- + -ile. Discovered and coined by Hermann Fehling in 1844. There is no listing for the suffix -ile in the IUPAC Red or Blue Books; it may have been an early variant of -yl before its meaning and spelling had ossified; compare protyle also with a unique suffix.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.