# fullerene

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfʊləɹˌin/ · frequency rank #97,049

## Definitions
1. Any of a class of allotropes of carbon having hollow molecules whose atoms lie at the vertices of a polyhedron having 12 pentagonal and 2 or more hexagonal faces.
2. Any closed-cage compound having twenty or more carbon atoms consisting entirely of 3-coordinate carbon atoms.
3. The class of carbon allotropes consisting of tubular carbon molecules (carbon nanotubes) and spheroidal carbon molecules (traditional fullerenes).

## Etymology
After Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, + -ene.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fullerene