noun · 3 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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/ˈbjuːteɪn/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -uːteɪn
CMU ARPABET:B Y UW0 T EY1 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:B Y UW1 T EY0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A hydrocarbon (either of the two isomers of C4H10, n-butane and 2-methylpropane) found in gaseous petroleum fractions.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
PIE word *gwṓws IUPAC nomenclature, from but- (“four carbon prefix”) + -ane (“alkane suffix”), the former is derived from the same stem as the foul-smelling carboxylic acid liberated in rancid butter, "butyric acid", hence cognate with butter.
Across languages
Translations
39 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
butaan
— the organic compound
Armenian:
բուտան
(butan)
— the organic compound
Azerbaijani:
butan
— the organic compound
Bulgarian:
бутан
(butan)
— the organic compound
Catalan:
butà
— the organic compound
Chinese Mandarin:
丁烷
(dīngwán)
— the organic compound
