methylene

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: meth=yl=ene

CIDE DICTIONARY

methylene, n. [F. méthylène, from Gr. wine + wood; -- a word coined to correspond to the name wood spirit.].

 A divalent hydrocarbon radical, -CH2-, not known in the free state, but regarded as an essential residue and component of certain derivatives of methane; as, methylene bromide, CH2Br2; -- formerly called also methene.  [1913 Webster]

Methylene blue (Chem.), an artificial dyestuff consisting of a complex sulphur derivative of diphenyl amine; -- called also pure blue.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

methylene, n. Chem. the highly reactive divalent group of atoms CH2.

Etymology

F m{eacute}thyl{egrave}ne f. Gk methu wine + hule wood + -ENE