-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
tetraethyl lead
noun
tet·ra·eth·yl lead
ˌte-trə-ˌe-thəl-ˈled
: a heavy oily poisonous liquid Pb(C2H5)4 used especially formerly as an antiknock agent
Examples of tetraethyl lead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Starting in the 1920s, oil companies began adding tetraethyl lead to gasoline to reduce engine knocking.
—Rachel Silverman Bonnifield, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2024
Lead pollution rose throughout the Industrial Revolution, but exposure skyrocketed after the first gallon of gasoline with tetraethyl lead was sold in 1923.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
The avgas market is dominated by about eight US refineries and one (troubled) UK company producing the world’s supply of tetraethyl lead.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
The new fuel was tetraethyl lead.
—Bill Kovarik, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2021
The dark truth about Ethyl is that everyone involved in its creation had seen incontrovertible evidence that tetraethyl lead was shockingly harmful to humans.
—Steven Johnson, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023
Virtually every small airplane in the US burns fuel containing tetraethyl lead (TEL), an additive introduced in the 1920s to boost octane levels.
—David Yanofsky, Quartz, 16 June 2022
But humanity didn’t enter uncharted territory until the first gallon of gasoline was sold with tetraethyl lead in 1923.
—Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 16 June 2022
There was tetraethyl lead, used in making gasoline, sludge, asphalt, hydrocarbon liquids and vapors, solvents such as kerosene, acidic residue and asbestos.
—Kaitlin Durbin, cleveland, 4 Apr. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Word History
First Known Use
1923, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near tetraethyl lead
Cite this Entry
“Tetraethyl lead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetraethyl%20lead. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
tetraethyl lead
noun
tet·ra·eth·yl lead
ˌte-trə-ˌeth-əl-ˈled
: a heavy oily poisonous liquid added to gasoline to prevent engines from knocking
Medical Definition
tetraethyl lead
noun
tet·ra·eth·yl lead
ˌte-trə-ˌeth-əl-ˈled
: a heavy oily poisonous liquid Pb(C2H5)4 used as an antiknock agent in gasoline
called also lead tetraethyl
More from Merriam-Webster on tetraethyl lead
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tetraethyl lead
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share