petroleum

[ puh-troh-lee-uhm ]

noun

1. 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.

petroleum

/ pəˈtrəʊlɪəm /

noun

1. 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

petroleum

/ pə-trō′lē-əm /

1. 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.

Other Words From

• pe·trole·ous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of petroleum¹

1520–30; < Medieval Latin: literally, rock oil, equivalent to Latin petr ( a ) rock (< Greek pétra ) + oleum oil

Word History and Origins

Origin of petroleum¹

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin petra stone + oleum oil

Example Sentences

The toothbrush probably contains plastic, which is made from petroleum, a fossil fuel.

From Time

Polyester fabrics are made of plastic fibers produced from petroleum.

From Science News For Students

Oil markets were also in tumult Friday as rising coronavirus cases across the globe threatened to spark more movement restrictions and keep people in their homes, threatening demand for gas and other petroleum products.

From Washington Post

The pandemic has crushed demand for gasoline and other petroleum products, as Americans do less driving and cut back on commercial travel.

From Washington Post

Guo at the University of Tennessee points out that the new material doesn’t use petroleum products.

From Science News For Students

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, primarily produces petroleum.

From The Daily Beast

The petroleum industry has depicted fracking as a few antiseptic drills dug on peaceful farmland.

From The Daily Beast

Due to its centrality, the Salt Lake field plays an outsized role in terms of strange petroleum events in the city.

From The Daily Beast

Michael keeps his cool until he sees piles of Petroleum Coke on the banks of the Athabasca.

From The Daily Beast

Petroleum from up here is often called the dirtiest oil in the world.

From The Daily Beast

The model was first filled with inflammable materials such as shavings and large blocks of wood, over which petroleum was poured.

From Project Gutenberg

Even the small towns and some villages are lighted by electricity, having gone straight from petroleum to electric light.

From Project Gutenberg

Now you see, Wes, the late Caesars were pretty good consumers of everything but petroleum, we having that edge on them.

From Project Gutenberg

He plugged one end of a bit of rain-water spout and let it down with a string, and drew it up filled with petroleum.

From Project Gutenberg

The Pennsylvania oil region and the Russian oil region are the two greatest centers of petroleum in the world.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• crude oil
• fossil fuel
• fuel
• gas
• gasoline
• kerosene
• natural gas
• petrol