paraxylene

P3A1R1A1X8Y4L1E1N1E1

noun

An aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of a benzene with two methyl substituents.

OriginEnglish xylene ← Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ- (pără-) ← Proto-Hellenic *pərai →
Scrabble 22
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounparaxylene (usually uncountable, plural paraxylenes)

plural paraxylenes · alternative para-xylene

  1. uncountableusuallyAn aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of a benzene with two methyl substituents.

    A proposal for another paraxylene plant, outside Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, has also been met by widespread protests.

    2009 January 15, Andrew Jacobs, “Chinese Chemical Plant Site Moves After Outcry”, in New York Times

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pərai
  4. Ancient Greekπᾰρᾰ́ (părắ)
  5. Ancient Greekπᾰρᾰ- (pără-)
  6. Englishpara-
  7. Englishxylene
  8. Englishparaxylene

From para- + xylene.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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