methylate

M3E1T1H4Y4L1A1T1E1

verb

To add, or treat with methyl alcohol (see methylated spirits)

OriginEnglish methyl ← German Methy ← Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē) →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

methylate1

verbmethylate (third-person singular simple present methylates, present participle methylating, simple past and past participle methylated)

present singular third person methylates · participle present methylating · participle past methylated · past methylated

  1. To add, or treat with methyl alcohol (see methylated spirits)
  2. chemistryTo add a methyl group to a compound
  3. biochemistryTo add a methyl group to a nucleic acid as part of the process of gene expression

methylate2

nounmethylate (plural methylates)

plural methylates

  1. chemistryThe anion -O-CH₃⁻ derived from methanol by loss of a proton; any salt containing this anion

Origin

methylate · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*médʰu
  2. Proto-Hellenic*métʰu
  3. Ancient Greekμέθυ (méthu)
  4. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  5. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  6. GermanMethy
  7. Englishmethyl
  8. Englishmethylate

From methyl + -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Full word history & related roots →

methylate · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*médʰu
  2. Proto-Hellenic*métʰu
  3. Ancient Greekμέθυ (méthu)
  4. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  5. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  6. GermanMethy
  7. Englishmethyl
  8. Englishmethylate

From methyl + -ate (“derivative”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

methylate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methylate

MLA

“methylate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methylate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “methylate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methylate.

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