cetane number: Meaning and Definition of

ce'tane num"ber

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a measure of the ignition quality of a diesel engine fuel by comparison with various mixtures in which the alpha form of methylnaphthalene is given a standard value of 0 and cetane is given a standard value of 100. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.