Meanings
nounmethylene (countable and uncountable, plural methylenes)
plural methylenes
- countableuncountablechemistryThe divalent group –CH₂– in which the free valencies are part of single bonds.
- countableuncountablechemistryThe same group, present as a repeating unit, in aliphatic compounds with names such as hexamethylenediamine.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nounthe bivalent radical CH2 derived from methane
Similar
methylene groupmethylene radical
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekμέθυ“wine”
- Frenchméthylène
- Englishmethylene
French méthylène, from Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu, “wine”) + ὕλη (húlē, “wood”). By surface analysis, meth- + -ylene.
More words from French, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan metilè
- metilèdivalent radical
Finnish metyleeni
- metyleenidivalent radical
French méthylène, méthylène
- méthylènedivalent radical
- méthylènegroup present as a repeating unit
- méthylèneunstable carbene CH2
Greek μεθυλένιο, μεθυλένιο
- μεθυλένιο (methylénio)divalent radical
- μεθυλένιο (methylénio)group present as a repeating unit
- μεθυλένιο (methylénio)unstable carbene CH2
Italian metilene
- metilenedivalent radical
Portuguese metileno
- metilenodivalent radical
Russian метиле́н, метиле́н
- метиле́н (metilén)divalent radical
- метиле́н (metilén)group present as a repeating unit
- метиле́н (metilén)unstable carbene CH2
Spanish metileno, metileno
- metilenodivalent radical
- metilenogroup present as a repeating unit
- metilenounstable carbene CH2
Tagalog metileno
- metilenodivalent radical
Cite this entry
APA
methylene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methylene
MLA
“methylene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methylene. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “methylene,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methylene.
Source: methylene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.