naphthalene

N1A1P3H4T1H4A1L1E1N1E1
/ˈnæfθəliːn//ˈnæpθəliːn/

noun

A white crystalline hydrocarbon manufactured from coal tar; used in mothballs.

OriginEnglish naphth(a) ← Latin naphtha ← Ancient Greek νάφθα (náphtha) →
UncommonScrabble 19
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Meanings

nounnaphthalene (usually uncountable, plural naphthalenes)

plural naphthalenes

  1. uncountableusuallyA white crystalline hydrocarbon manufactured from coal tar; used in mothballs.
  2. uncountableusuallychemistryAn aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon, C₁₀H₈; an acene containing two fused benzene rings.

Synonyms & antonyms

Broader
acene

Origin

  1. Akkadiannapṭumbor.?
  2. Old Persian*naftah
  3. Ancient Greekνάφθα (náphtha)
  4. Latinnaphtha
  5. Englishnaphth(a)
  6. Englishnaphthalene

From naphth(a) + -al + -ene.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian нафталин, нафталин
  • нафталин (naftalin)white crystalline hydrocarbon
  • нафталин (naftalin)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Catalan naftalina, naftalina
  • naftalinawhite crystalline hydrocarbon
  • naftalinaaromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
  • naftalèaromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Chinese Cantonese 萘
  • 萘 (noi⁶)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Chinese Mandarin 萘, 萘
  • 萘 (nài)white crystalline hydrocarbon
  • 萘 (nài)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Czech naftalín, naftalen
  • naftalínwhite crystalline hydrocarbon
  • naftalenaromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Esperanto naftalino
  • naftalinowhite crystalline hydrocarbon
Finnish naftaleeni
  • naftaleeniwhite crystalline hydrocarbon
French naphtalène
  • naphtalènewhite crystalline hydrocarbon
German Naphthalin
  • Naphthalinwhite crystalline hydrocarbon
Greek ναφθαλίνη, ναφθαλίνη
  • ναφθαλίνη (nafthalíni)white crystalline hydrocarbon
  • ναφθαλίνη (nafthalíni)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Hungarian naftalin
  • naftalinwhite crystalline hydrocarbon
Italian naftalina, naftalene
  • naftalinawhite crystalline hydrocarbon
  • naftalenearomatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Japanese ナフタレン, ナフタレン
  • ナフタレン (nafutaren)white crystalline hydrocarbon
  • ナフタレン (nafutaren)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
  • ナフタリン (nafutarin)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Korean 나프탈렌
  • 나프탈렌 (napeutallen)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Polish naftalina, naftalen
  • naftalinawhite crystalline hydrocarbon
  • naftalenaromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Portuguese naftalina
  • naftalinawhite crystalline hydrocarbon
Russian нафтали́н, нафтали́н
  • нафтали́н (naftalín)white crystalline hydrocarbon
  • нафтали́н (naftalín)aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon
Spanish naftalina
  • naftalinawhite crystalline hydrocarbon
Tagalog naptalina
  • naptalinawhite crystalline hydrocarbon
Turkish naftalin, güve otu
  • naftalinwhite crystalline hydrocarbon
  • güve otuwhite crystalline hydrocarbon
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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