benzonitrile

B3E1N1Z10O1N1I1T1R1I1L1E1

noun

The aromatic nitrile C₆H₅-CN; used as a solvent and has many industrial applications.

Scrabble 23
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounbenzonitrile (plural benzonitriles)

plural benzonitriles

  1. chemistryThe aromatic nitrile C₆H₅-CN; used as a solvent and has many industrial applications.

Origin

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.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

benzonitrile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benzonitrile

MLA

“benzonitrile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benzonitrile. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “benzonitrile,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benzonitrile.

Source: benzonitrile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.