hydrocarbon

Etymology

It is formed from English hydro- + carbon,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} the first element standing for hydrogen;^[7][8] Etymonline derives it directly from hydrogen and carbon.^[9] Hydrogen is from French hydrogène, coined in 1787 by Guyton de Morveau, Lavoisier, Berthollet and Fourcroy from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”),^[9][1] and carbon was coined in French by Lavoisier in 1787 from Latin carbō (“coal, charcoal”).^[9] The related adjective hydrocarbonous is recorded from 1788.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

A chemical compound of hydrogen and carbon: 1826, in Faraday's experimental researches.^[2][6][4] Etymonline dates the noun to 1800.^[9]

Semantic evolution

The word arose in the chemistry of the early 19th century, soon after the names of its two elements were coined in French in 1787.^[9][6] The Century Dictionary already called the hydrocarbons an exceedingly large and important group of compounds, forming with their derivatives the subject matter of organic chemistry.^[8] Modern dictionaries define them strictly as compounds of carbon and hydrogen only, such as the alkanes, alkenes and aromatic compounds,^[10][4][3] and the Shorter Oxford adds substituted derivatives of these.^[3]

Timeline

• 1826 – a compound of hydrogen and carbon.^[2][6][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Any organic compound made up only of carbon and hydrogen, such as methane, benzene and the other constituents of petroleum and natural gas.^{[10][4][3][6]}

Word family

• hydrocarbonaceous

Related words

• hydrogen
• carbon
• hydro-

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b Whitney, William Dwight, ed. (1889–1891), The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, New York: The Century Co. (1901 printing)
9. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins