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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/ˈmɛθənɒl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M EH1 TH AH0 N AA2 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH; a colourless, toxic, inflammable liquid, used as a solvent, antifreeze, in the chemical industry, and in the preparation of methylated spirit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
From methane + -ol. French chemists Jean-Baptiste Dumas and Eugene Peligot, after determining methanol's chemical structure, introduced "methylene" from the Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu, “wine”) + ὕλη (húlē, “wood, material”) with the intention of highlighting its origins, "alcohol made from wood (substance)".
Across languages
Translations
42 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Abkhaz:
аметано́л
(ametʼanól)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Bashkir:
метанол
(metanol)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Catalan:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Chinese Cantonese:
甲醇
(gaap3 seon4)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Chinese Mandarin:
甲醇
(jiǎchún)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Finnish:
metanoli
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
French:
méthanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
French:
alcool de bois
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
German:
Methanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Greek:
μεθανόλη
(methanóli)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Hungarian:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Hungarian:
metil-alkohol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Hungarian:
faszesz
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Icelandic:
metanól
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Italian:
metanolo
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Japanese:
メタノール
(metanōru)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Kazakh:
метанол
(metanol)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Khmer:
មេតាណុល
(meitaanol)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Korean:
메탄올
(metanol)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Korean:
메타놀
(metanol)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Kyrgyz:
метанол
(metanol)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Norwegian Bokmål:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Norwegian Nynorsk:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Persian:
متانول
(metânol)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Polish:
alkohol metylowy
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Polish:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Portuguese:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Portuguese:
álcool metílico
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Romanian:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Russian:
метано́л
(metanól)
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Serbo-Croatian:
мета̀но̄л
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Serbo-Croatian:
metànōl
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Slovene:
metanól
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Spanish:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Swedish:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Swedish:
träsprit
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Thai:
เมทานอล
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Thai:
เมทิลแอลกอฮอล์
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Turkish:
odun ruhu
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Turkish:
metanol
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Vietnamese:
rượu mạnh gỗ
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
Vietnamese:
cồn gỗ
— the simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH3OH
