[ 'fi:nʌɪl , 'fɛnɪl ]
■ noun [as modifier ] Chemistry of or denoting the radical ‒C 6 H 5 , derived from benzene.
Origin
C19: from Fr. phényle , from Gk phaino- 'shining' (because first used in names of by-products of the manufacture of gas for illumination).