de-ethylate
|de-eth-yl-ate|
🇺🇸
/diːˈɛθəleɪt/
🇬🇧
/diːˈɛθɪleɪt/
remove ethyl group
Etymology
'de-ethylate' originates from English combining the prefix 'de-' (from Latin 'de-' meaning 'away, remove') and 'ethylate' derived from 'ethyl' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ate'.
'de-ethylate' developed in modern chemical English in the 20th century as a verb formed from the noun 'de-ethylation' (and earlier written as 'deethylate' without a hyphen). The element name 'ethyl' itself was coined in the 19th century (from French 'éthyle' / German 'Äthyl').
Initially coined to describe the specific chemical operation 'removal of an ethyl group', the term has retained that technical meaning in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to remove an ethyl group (–C2H5) from a molecule, typically by a chemical reaction or enzymatic process.
Liver enzymes de-ethylate the drug, forming a less active metabolite.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/23 07:09