Definition of "octane" []

• Any of various isomeric paraffin hydrocarbons with the formula C8H18, found in petroleum and used as a fuel and solvent. (noun)
• An octane number. (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.

• "This higher octane is achieved through the use of tetraethyl lead as a fuel additive."
• "High octane from the moment the audience joins Tatiana in the late twenty-first century in Port Uranium and five years later in the Northern Waste (graphic geography in a few concise words)."
• "But don’t forget that the heat of combustion of octane is 40% greater than the heat of combustion of ethanol (ethanol: 86863 BTU/gal, n-octane: 121577 BTU/gal)."