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citronella oil

American  

noun

  1. a light-yellowish pungent oil, distilled from citronella, used in the manufacture of liniment, perfume, and soap, and as an insect repellent.


Etymology

Origin of citronella oil

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Lemongrass oil, cedarwood oil, citronella oil and peppermint oil are among the common ingredients.

From Washington Post Aug. 8, 2022

They will also continue testing other potential repellent molecules, including the main component in citronella oil, which they found also activates Or31.

From Scientific American Aug. 18, 2021

Those principally obtained from tropical shrubs and plants are citronella, oil of oranges and lemons, from the rind of the fruit oil of cinnamon and cloves, croton oil, &c.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by Simmonds, P. L.

Lemon-grass oil, which is known in commerce as citronella oil, is a delightful extract from the rank lemon grass, which covers most of' the hillsides in the more open districts of Ceylon.

From Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon by Baker, Samuel White, Sir

The process is very similar to that employed in the manufacture of citronella oil.

From Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon by Baker, Samuel White, Sir

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