Word
octane
Phoneticsoc·tane
US/ˈɑkteɪn/
UK/ˈɒkteɪn/
Definition
n. a number that shows how well fuel burns in a car engine. A higher number usually means the fuel is better for high-performance cars.
n. a figure indicating the anti-knock properties of a fuel, based on the percentage of iso-octane in a reference mixture. Often used metaphorically to describe the intensity or power of an activity.
Examples
“Most cars run perfectly well on standard octane fuel.”
“The mechanic recommended using a higher octane gasoline to prevent the engine from making a knocking sound.”
“The film's high-octane action sequences left the audience breathless, though critics argued the plot lacked the intellectual depth found in the director's earlier, more contemplative works.”
Examples
simple
“Most cars run perfectly well on standard octane fuel.”
contextual
“The mechanic recommended using a higher octane gasoline to prevent the engine from making a knocking sound.”
complex
“The film's high-octane action sequences left the audience breathless, though critics argued the plot lacked the intellectual depth found in the director's earlier, more contemplative works.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the chemical property; countable when referring to specific fuel grades.
Real-World Examples
“Since February, the price of 95-octane petrol has risen by about 86 percent, while diesel has more than doubled.” “The first map is the factory tune, while the second increases the factory max boost pressure from around 9 PSI to 14.5 (1 bar) on 91 octane.” Etymology
From oct- + -ane.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/octane