< Frenchméthylène (coined in 1834), equivalent to Greekméth(y) wine (see mead1) + hýl(ē) wood + French-ène-ene, taken to mean “wood-spirits” (vin ou liqueur spiritueuse du bois), though elements of the compound are in the wrong order to give this sense
Examples from the web for methylene
methylene chloride is predominantly used as a solvent.
British Dictionary definitions for methylene
methylene
/ˈmɛθɪˌliːn/
noun
1.
(modifier) of, consisting of, or containing the divalent group of atoms =CH2: a methylene group or radical
Word Origin
C19: from French méthylène, from Greek methu wine + hulē wood + -ene: originally referring to a substance distilled from wood
Word Origin and History for methylene
n.
1835, from French méthylène (1834), coined by Jean-Baptiste-André Dumas (1800-1884) and Eugène-Melchior Péligot (1811-1890) from Greek methy "wine" (see mead (n.1)) + -yl "stuff" + chemical suffix -ene. So called because detected in wood alcohol.
methylene in Medicine
methylene meth·yl·ene (měth'ə-lēn') n. A bivalent hydrocarbon radical, CH2, that is a component of unsaturated hydrocarbons and is derived from methane by the removal of two hydrogen atoms.
methylene in Science
methylene
(měth'ə-lēn') A bivalent hydrocarbon radical, CH2. Because it has two unshared electrons, it is extremely reactive and occurs only as an intermediate byproduct in chemical reactions. Methylene is a component of unsaturated hydrocarbons.