Meanings
nounperchloroethylene (countable and uncountable, plural perchloroethylenes)
plural perchloroethylenes
- countableuncountablechemistrySynonym of tetrachloroethylene, a nonflammable, non-polar solvent with low toxicity, especially in the dry-cleaning trade
Synonyms: tetrachloroethylene, PCE, perc
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of tetrachloroethylene, a nonflammable, non-polar solvent with low toxicity, especially in the dry-cleaning trade
Similar
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
- Proto-Indo-European*pér
- Proto-Italic*per
- Latinper
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Proto-Italic*peri-
- Latinper-
- Englishper-
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰelh₃-
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰl̥h₃rós
- Proto-Hellenic*kʰlōrós
- Ancient Greekχλωρός (khlōrós)
- Englishchloro-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eydʰ-
- Proto-Hellenic*áitʰō
- Ancient Greekαἴθω (aíthō)
- Ancient Greekᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)influ.?
- Ancient Greekαἰθήρ (aithḗr)
- Latinaethēr
- GermanÄther
- GermanEther
- Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
- Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
- GermanEthy
- Englishethyl
- Englisheth-
- Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
- Englishethylene
- Englishperchloroethylene
From per- + chloro- + ethylene.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
perchloroethylene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perchloroethylene
MLA
“perchloroethylene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perchloroethylene. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perchloroethylene,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perchloroethylene.
Source: perchloroethylene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.