noun
butane
BYOO-tayn
noun
1
A flammable hydrocarbon gas, used as fuel for lighters and camping stoves and found in petroleum.
"The camping stove ran on a small canister of butane."
How to Use Butane
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA gas used as fuel, common in cigarette lighters and portable stoves.
Common pairings
butane lighter
butane gas canister
Word Forms
butanes plural
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The camping stove ran on a small canister of _____.
Etymology
Built from but- (a prefix indicating four carbon atoms, from the same root as "butter") plus the chemistry suffix -ane used for alkanes.