Meanings
plural tetrachloroethylenes
- countableuncountableA liquid chlorocarbon with the formula C₂Cl₄, commonly used in dry cleaning and metal degreasing.
Uses of tetrachloroethylene have included dry cleaning, degreasing, deworming, and others, but its use is now curtailed as compared with decades ago.
1 more example
The department has been testing samples of tap water in the affected neighborhoods for the presence of the chemical, tetrachloroethylene, which is used in dry cleaning and auto body repair.
2007 May 12, The Associated Press, “Car Wash’s Water Is Tested in Search for Contaminant”, in New York TimesSynonyms: tetrachloroethene, perchloroethylene, perc
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA liquid chlorocarbon with the formula C₂Cl₄, commonly used in dry cleaning and metal degreasing.
More synonyms by meaning
nounanthelmintic agent used against hookworm and other nematodes
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres
- Proto-Hellenic*kʷétwores
- Ancient Greekτέσσᾰρες (téssăres)
- Ancient Greekτετρᾰ- (tetră-)
- Englishtetra-
- Englishchloro-
- Englishethylene
- Englishtetrachloroethylene
From tetra- + chloro- + ethylene.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan tetracloroetilè, percloroetilè
- tetracloroetilèchlorocarbon
- percloroetilèchlorocarbon
Finnish tetrakloorietyleeni
- tetrakloorietyleenichlorocarbon
French tétrachloroéthylène
- tétrachloroéthylènechlorocarbon
German Tetrachlorethylen
- Tetrachlorethylenchlorocarbon
Italian tetracloroetilene
- tetracloroetilenechlorocarbon
Japanese テトラクロロエチレン
- テトラクロロエチレン (tetorakuroroechiren)chlorocarbon
Romanian tetracloroetilenă
- tetracloroetilenăchlorocarbon
Turkish tetrakloroetilen
- tetrakloroetilenchlorocarbon
Cite this entry
tetrachloroethylene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrachloroethylene
“tetrachloroethylene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrachloroethylene. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tetrachloroethylene,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrachloroethylene.
Source: tetrachloroethylene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.