Meaning
Any acyclic saturated hydrocarbon (methane, ethane, etc.).
Etymology
Origin: Latin
Etymology tree Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor. Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor. Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl) Andalusian Arabic كُحُول (kuḥūl)bor. Medieval Latin alcoholbor. German Alk(ohol) Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. German -yl German Alkyl German alk- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānusder. German -an German Alkanbor. English alkane From German Alkan, formed as alkyl + -ane.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
paraffin
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025, 2026.