A light, colorless, gaseous, inflammable hydrocarbon, CH4; marsh gas. It is the simplest of the aliphatic hydrocarbons. See Marsh gas, under Gas. [1913 Webster]

Methane series (Chem.), a series of saturated hydrocarbons, of which methane is the first member and type, and (because of their general chemical inertness and indifference) called also the paraffin (little affinity) series. The lightest members are gases, as methane, ethane; intermediate members are liquids, as hexane, heptane, etc. (found in benzine, kerosene, etc.); while the highest members are white, waxy, or fatty solids, as paraffin proper.

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

methane, n. Chem. a colourless odourless inflammable gaseous hydrocarbon, the simplest in the alkane series, and the main constituent of natural gas.

Usage

Chem. formula: CH4

Etymology

METHYL + -ANE(2)

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THESAURUS

methane

alcohol, benzine, briquette, burnable, butane, carbon, charcoal, coal, coke, combustible, dope, ethane, ethanol, fireball, firing, flammable, flammable material, fuel, fuel additive, fuel dope, gas, gas carbon, gasoline, heptane, hexane, inflammable, inflammable material, isooctane, jet fuel, kerosene, methanol, natural gas, octane, oil, paraffin, peat, pentane, propane, propellant, rocket fuel, turf

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