Definition of "xylene" []

• Any of three flammable isomeric hydrocarbons, C6H4(CH3)2, obtained from wood and coal tar. (noun)
• A mixture of xylene isomers used as a solvent in making lacquers and rubber cement and as an aviation fuel. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "From this tar are produced a pound of benzine, a pound of toluene, a pound and a half of phenol, six pounds of naphthalene, a small quantity of a material called xylene and half a pound of anthracene, which is used in dyeing."
• "Records show the company uses carcinogenic chemicals such as xylene and ethylbenzene as well as the chemical phenol, which is listed as a hazardous air pollutant, in its coatings for the wire."
• "The plant uses carcinogenic chemicals such as xylene and ethylbenzene as well as the chemical phenol, which is listed as a hazardous air pollutant, in its coatings for the wire,"