Standard Lemma guide

buckminsterfullerene

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌbʌk.mɪns.təˈfʊ.lə.ɹiːn/
  • General-American: /ˌbʌk.mɪns.təɹˈfʊ.lə.ɹin/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʊləɹiːn

1

noun

Meaning 1

An allotrope of carbon with the formula C60, consisting of a hollow molecule with 60 atoms arranged in a truncated icosahedron structure; the smallest of the fullerenes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: buckyball, footballene

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a spheroidal fullerene; the first known example of a fullerene

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: buckyball

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fullerene

History

Etymology

From Buckminster + Fuller + -ene, named after Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome.