petroleum
[ puh-troh-lee-uh m ]
/ pəˈtroʊ li əm /
noun
an oily, thick, flammable, usually dark-colored liquid that is a form of bitumen or a mixture of various hydrocarbons, occurring naturally in various parts of the world and commonly obtained by drilling: used in a natural or refined state as fuel, or separated by distillation into gasoline, naphtha, benzene, kerosene, paraffin, etc.
Origin of petroleum
1520–30; < Medieval Latin: literally, rock oil, equivalent to Latin
petr(a) rock (< Greek
pétra) +
oleum
oil
OTHER WORDS FROM petroleum
pe·tro·le·ous, adjectiveWords nearby petroleum
petrol pump,
petrol station,
petrol.,
petrolatum,
petrolene,
petroleum,
petroleum benzin,
petroleum ether,
petroleum jelly,
petrolhead,
petrolic
Example sentences from the Web for petroleum
British Dictionary definitions for petroleum
petroleum
/ (pəˈtrəʊlɪəm) /
noun
a dark-coloured thick flammable crude oil occurring in sedimentary rocks around the Persian Gulf, in parts of North and South America, and below the North Sea, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. Fractional distillation separates the crude oil into petrol, paraffin, diesel oil, lubricating oil, etc. Fuel oil, paraffin wax, asphalt, and carbon black are extracted from the residue
Word Origin for petroleum
C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin
petra stone +
oleum oil
Scientific definitions for petroleum
petroleum
[ pə-trō′lē-əm ]
A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the Earth's surface. It can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, paraffin wax, asphalt, and fuel and lubricating oils, and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products. It is believed to originate from the accumulated remains of fossil plants and animals, especially in shallow marine environments.