Acene1
/ˈeɪsiːn/Geology. Now historical
noun
W. Whewell's suggested name for: the earliest epoch of the Tertiary period, the Palaeocene.
- The name was not adopted by Lyell, who did, however, use Whewell's terms Eocene, Miocene, and Pliocene..
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in William Whewell (1794–1866), college head and writer on the history and philosophy of science. From a- + -cene.
acene2
/ˈeɪsiːn/Chemistry
noun
Any of the series of compounds with a molecule consisting of a line of fused benzene rings.
- The simplest such compounds are naphthalene (two rings) and anthracene (three rings)..
Origin
1940s; earliest use found in Chemical Abstracts. From -acene, after German Acen.