petrochemical

American  

[pe-troh-kem-i-kuhl] / ˌpɛ troʊˈkɛm ɪ kəl /

noun

1. a chemical substance obtained from petroleum or natural gas, as gasoline, kerosene, or petrolatum.

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adjective

1. of or relating to petrochemistry or a petrochemical.

petrochemical British  

/ ˌpɛtrəʊˈkɛmɪkəl /

noun

1. any substance, such as acetone or ethanol, obtained from petroleum or natural gas

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adjective

1. of, concerned with, or obtained from petrochemicals or related to petrochemistry

petrochemical Scientific  

/ pĕt′rō-kĕm′ĭ-kəl /

1. Any of a large number of chemicals made from petroleum or natural gas. Important petrochemicals include benzene, ammonia, acetylene, and polystyrene. Petrochemicals are used to produce a wide variety of materials, such as plastics, explosives, fertilizers, and synthetic fibers.

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petrochemical Cultural  

1. Any material made from substances found in oil or natural gas. Most plastics are petrochemicals.

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Other Word Forms

• petrochemically adverb

Etymology

Origin of petrochemical

First recorded in 1910–15; petro- ² + chemical

Example Sentences

Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Thursday it is sanctioning key leaders in Iran, including those who help launder proceeds from sales of Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical abroad.

From Barron's

Mr. Huntsman is chairman and CEO of Huntsman Corp., a petrochemical manufacturer.

From The Wall Street Journal

He further pared Berkshire’s stake in Apple when tech stocks were still booming, and bought a petrochemical company with cash.

From The Wall Street Journal

The private petrochemicals company that runs the facility, Primazol, however, denied any connection.

From The Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, Ukraine reportedly struck a petrochemical plant in Stravropol, southern Russia.

From BBC