A chemical group (C₂H₅) derived from ethane, commonly found in organic compounds like ethyl alcohol.
From Greek 'aither' (upper air/ether) + '-yl' (chemical suffix for radicals). Coined in 1834 by German chemist Justus von Liebig as organic chemistry developed systematic naming conventions.
The ethyl group is the chemical foundation of drinking alcohol (ethanol), but it also appears in everything from vanilla extract to gasoline additives. The name connects to 'ether' because early chemists thought these volatile compounds were related to the mysterious substance that filled space.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.