tetracarbonyl

T1E1T1R1A1C3A1R1B3O1N1Y4L1

noun

Any compound having four carbonyl groups.

OriginEnglish carbonyl ← Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē) ← French carbone →
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Meanings

nountetracarbonyl (plural tetracarbonyls)

plural tetracarbonyls

  1. chemistryAny compound having four carbonyl groups.

    He had clays and gels of silicate. He had silicone putties. He had slushy ferric salts succumbing to their own deliquescence. Ambivalent acetylacetonates and tetracarbonyls with low melting points.

    2001, Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres
  2. Proto-Hellenic*kʷétwores
  3. Ancient Greekτέσσᾰρες (téssăres)
  4. Ancient Greekτετρᾰ- (tetră-)
  5. Englishtetra-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*kerh₃-der.?
  7. Latincarbōnem
  8. Frenchcarbone
  9. Englishcarbon
  10. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  11. Englishcarbonyl
  12. Englishtetracarbonyl

From tetra- + carbonyl.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tetracarbonyl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetracarbonyl

MLA

“tetracarbonyl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetracarbonyl. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tetracarbonyl,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetracarbonyl.

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