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Dictionary:

olefin

  (ō'lə-fĭn) pronunciation
n.

Any of a class of unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene, having the general formula CnH2n; an alkene with only one carbon-carbon double bond.

[French (gaz) oléfiant, oil-forming (gas), ethylene : Latin oleum, oil; see oil + French -fiant, present participle of -fier, -fy.]

olefinic o'le·fin'ic adj.
 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: olefin

Any unsaturated hydrocarbon containing one or more pairs of carbon atoms linked by a double bond (see covalent bond, saturation). Olefins may be classified by whether the double bond is in a ring (cyclic) or a chain (acyclic, or aliphatic) or by the number of double bonds (monoolefin, diolefin, etc.). Rare in nature, olefins are obtained by the cracking of petroleum fractions at high temperatures. The simplest ones (ethylene, propylene, butylene, butadiene, and isoprene) are the basis of the petrochemicals industry. They react by adding other chemical agents at the double bond to form derivatives or polymers.

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Architecture: olefin

A lightweight, high-strength, long-chain polymeric material having very good abrasion resistance; especially used in indoor-outdoor carpeting.

 
Medical Dictionary: o·le·fin
(ō'lə-fĭn)
n.

Any of a group of unsaturated open chain hydrocarbons possessing one or more double bonds, the simplest of which is ethylene.

 
WordNet: olefin
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: any unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon
  Synonyms: alkene, olefine

 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more

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