ful·ler·ene (fo?ol??-r?n?)n. An allotrope of carbon composed of any of various cagelike molecules that consist only of an even number of carbon atoms, are often spherical in shape, and are composed of hexagonal and pentagonal groups of atoms.[After Richard Buckminster Fuller (from the resemblance of their configurations to his geodesic domes) + -ene.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.fullerene (?f?l??ri?n) n (Elements & Compounds) any of various carbon molecules with a polyhedral structure similar to that of buckminsterfullerene, such as C70, C76, and C84. See also buckminsterfullereneCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014ful?ler?ene (?f?l ??rin) n. any of a class of large carbon molecules consisting of a roughly spherical shell. [1985?90; after R. Buckminster Fuller] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.