An alkene has a double bond, which means that two of the available bonds are used to bind two $C$'s. This bond can be opened (under the right circumstances) to allow two more $H$'s into the compound.
Compare Ethene: $H_2-C=C-H_2$
With Ethane:$H_3-C-C-H_3$
Ethane has all the $H$'s it can take, and is thus called "saturated"