noun
acetylene
uh-SEH-tuhl-een
noun
1
A colourless, highly flammable gas made of two carbon and two hydrogen atoms, burned with oxygen to produce an extremely hot flame used for welding and cutting metal.
"The welder connected the acetylene tank before lighting the torch."
"Old-fashioned bicycle and car lamps sometimes burned acetylene gas for light."
How to Use Acetylene
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe gas welders burn for cutting and joining metal — it's the fuel in an acetylene torch.
Common pairings
acetylene torch
acetylene tank
oxy-acetylene welding
Word Forms
acetylenes plural
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The welder connected the _____ tank before lighting the torch.
Etymology
Coined in French from "acetyl" plus the chemical ending "-ene," first used by the chemist Marcellin Berthelot.