fˈɜːst sˈɪnθəsˌaɪzd ænd dᵻskɹˈaɪbd baɪ hˈaʊɚd zˈɪmɚmən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti, ðə nˈeɪm dᵻɹˈaɪvz fɹʌmðə ɹᵻzˈɛmbləns tʊ ɐ bˈæɹəl, wɪððə stˈeɪvz bˌiːɪŋ θɹˈiː ˈɛθɪlˌiːn jˈuːnɪts ɐtˈætʃt tə tˈuː mˈɛθaɪn ɡɹˈuːps.
First synthesized and described by Howard Zimmerman in 1960, the name derives from the resemblance to a barrel, with the staves being three ethylene units attached to two methine groups.