butane

B3U1T1A1N1E1
/ˈbjuːteɪn/

noun

A hydrocarbon (either of the two isomers of C₄H₁₀, n-butane and 2-methylpropane) found in gaseous petroleum fractions.

Similar
E943a
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

nounbutane (countable and uncountable, plural butanes)

plural butanes

  1. countableuncountablechemistryA hydrocarbon (either of the two isomers of C₄H₁₀, n-butane and 2-methylpropane) found in gaseous petroleum fractions.
  2. uncountablechemistryThe n-butane isomer only.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
E943a

Origin

PIE word *gʷṓws IUPAC nomenclature, from but- (“four carbon prefix”) + -ane (“alkane suffix”), the former is derived from the same stem as the foul-smelling carboxylic acid liberated in rancid butter, "butyric acid", hence cognate with butter.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans butaan
  • butaanthe organic compound
Bulgarian бутан
  • бутан (butan)the organic compound
Catalan butà
  • butàthe organic compound
Chinese Mandarin 丁烷
  • 丁烷 (dīngwán)the organic compound
Czech butan
  • butanthe organic compound
Esperanto butano
  • butanothe organic compound
Finnish butaani
  • butaanithe organic compound
French butane
  • butanethe organic compound
German Butan
  • Butanthe organic compound
Greek βουτάνιο
  • βουτάνιο (voutánio)the organic compound
Hungarian bután
  • butánthe organic compound
Icelandic bútan
  • bútanthe organic compound
Indonesian butana
  • butanathe organic compound
Italian butano
  • butanothe organic compound
Japanese ブタン
  • ブタン (butan)the organic compound
Korean 뷰테인, 부탄
  • 뷰테인 (byutein)the organic compound
  • 부탄 (butan)the organic compound
Norwegian Bokmål butan
  • butanthe organic compound
Polish butan
  • butanthe organic compound
Portuguese butano
  • butanothe organic compound
Romanian butan
  • butanthe organic compound
Russian бута́н
  • бута́н (bután)the organic compound
Spanish butano
  • butanothe organic compound
Swahili butani
  • butanithe organic compound
Swedish butan
  • butanthe organic compound
Tagalog pattan
  • pattanthe organic compound
Thai บิวเทน
  • บิวเทน (biu-teen)the organic compound
Turkish bütan
  • bütanthe organic compound
Vietnamese butan
  • butanthe organic compound

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with butane

n-butane
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

butane. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/butane

MLA

“butane.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/butane. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “butane,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/butane.

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