BENZENE
/ˈbɛn.ziːn/Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020
Meaning
An aromatic hydrocarbon of formula C₆H₆ whose structure consists of a ring of alternate single and double bonds.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
Etymology tree German Benzoe Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. German -in German Benzinbor. English benzine English benzene A technical term in chemistry, adopted in English in 1835 as benzine (benzene from 1872), from German Benzin, which was coined in 1833 by Eilhardt Mitscherlich based on Benzoesäure (“benzoic acid”), plus the technical ending -ene (German -in) denoting hydrocarbons. The adjective benzoic is in turn from benzoin, originally a term for a balsamic resin from Middle French benjoin, from Spanish benjuí, Portuguese beijoim, Italian benzoe, probably, from Arabic لُبَان جَاوِيّ (lubān jāwiyy, “Javanese frankincense”). Not related to German Benz (surname).
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
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.