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

He is also likely to ease restrictions on the oil industry’s emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and to revoke Biden’s pause on increasing liquid petroleum gas exports.

From Los Angeles Times

The main UK sectors likely to be hit would be fishing, petroleum, and mining, which could see exports fall by around a fifth.

From BBC

The CEO of the American Petroleum Institute issued a statement saying that “energy was on the ballot, and voters sent a clear signal that they want choices, not mandates.”

From Salon

Trump pledged to the estimated 500,000 Pennsylvanians employed in the petroleum industry that if elected, “we will frack, frack, frack and drill, baby, drill.”

From Los Angeles Times

It imposed yet another batch of sanctions on Iran, this time cracking down on the so-called ghost ships, unmarked oil tankers Iran allegedly uses to export illicit petroleum products; fast-tracked to Israel an advanced ballistic missile air-defense system, known as THAAD; and launched air strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a show of solidarity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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