noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary benz- + -ene Date: 1835 a colorless volatile flammable toxic liquid aromatic hydrocarbon C 6 H 6 used in organic synthesis, as a solvent, and as a motor fuel, benzenoid adjective or noun
benzene ring noun Date: 1877 a structural arrangement of atoms in benzene and other aromatic compounds that consists of a planar symmetrical hexagon of six carbon atoms which derives added stability from the delocalization of certain bonding electrons over the entire ring