cetane

1 9.9

A substance used to measure how easily diesel fuel burns in an engine

noun
/ˈsiːteɪn/

Specialized

: cetano

A higher cetane number in diesel fuel leads to smoother engine operation and reduced emissions.

Examples

To improve fuel efficiency, choose diesel with a high cetane level, which enhances ignition quality.
It emits fewer harmful substances than diesel with the same cetane and BTU content and is produced from any fat or oil, but is commonly made from soybean oil.

Academic text (2001)
Diesel engines perform better with fuel that has a high cetane rating for efficient starting.

Surface Forms

cetane singular

cetanes plural

Morphology

cetane = cetyl (opaque) = cet + ane

Although built with the chemical suffix '-ane' (denoting an alkane), the formation is specialized and the 'cet-' element is not meaningful to an average learner, so the composition is not guessable.

Etymology

The word cetane comes from cetyl, an old name for a long part of oil first found in 'whale oil', plus the chemical ending -ane (seen in methane and propane) that means 'a simple hydrocarbon'. So cetane is the name of a long hydrocarbon, and that is why its name is used as the standard for measuring how well diesel fuel ignites.