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ethanol

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Etymology and origin of the English word ethanol

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1892 Proceedings of the Chemical Society
Ultimate origin
English ethane,-ol

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈɛθ.ə.nɒl/[1]
  • US: /ˈɛθ.ə.nɑl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English ethane + -ol,[2][3][4][5][6] after French éthanol, recorded in 1892;[2] the OED also compares German Aethanol, recorded by 1893 and now usually Ethanol.[2] Merriam-Webster classes it as International Scientific Vocabulary.[4] The suffix here stands for alcohol, ethanol being the alcohol corresponding to the base,[6] and the Oxford Dictionary of English calls the word a blend of ethane and alcohol.[7] The base, first recorded in 1873, was formed from ethyl and -ane after German Aethan, coined by A. W. Hofmann in 1866;[6][2] the German chemical name Ethyl was introduced by Liebig in 1834, from ether and -yl.[6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ethyl alcohol, the alcohol corresponding to ethane: 1892, in the Proceedings of the Chemical Society,[2] the year Merriam-Webster also gives.[4] Etymonline dates the word to 1900[6] and Dictionary.com to 1895–1900.[8]

Semantic evolution

The word was a systematic name: Merriam-Webster notes that it belongs to the nomenclature adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry,[4] and Collins calls it the technical name for alcohol.[9] The substance itself was far older than the name: Etymonline notes that ethyl alcohol, under other names, was widely used in medicine by the 13th century.[6] The Shorter Oxford describes it as the alcohol of drinks, produced by the fermentation of sugars and used as a solvent, antifreeze and fuel;[5] Wiktionary records a specific use of the word for this alcohol as a fuel.[10]

Timeline

  • 1834 – Liebig's German Ethyl, the base of the chemical family.[6][2]
  • 1873 – ethane in English.[6]
  • 1892 – ethanol in English, and éthanol in French.[2][4]
  • 1895–1900 – the date Dictionary.com gives.[8]
  • 1900 – the date Etymonline gives.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A colourless, volatile, flammable liquid, C₂H₅OH, the intoxicating ingredient of wine, beer and spirits, made by fermenting sugars and used as a solvent and fuel; ethyl alcohol.[2][5][11]
  2. The systematic name of alcohol in chemistry.[4][9]

Word family

  • ethanolamine
  • tribromoethanol

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  10. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  11. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Ethanol.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/ethanol. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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