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mineral oil

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noun
a colorless, oily, almost tasteless, water-insoluble liquid, usually of either a standard light density (light mineral oil ) or a standard heavy density (heavy mineral oil ), consisting of mixtures of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum by distillation: used chiefly as a lubricant, in the manufacture of cosmetics, and in medicine as a laxative.

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Also called liquid petrolatum.

Origin of mineral oil

First recorded in 1795–1805
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mineral oil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mineral oil

mineral oil

noun
British any oil of mineral origin, esp petroleum
US and Canadian a colourless almost tasteless oily liquid obtained by petroleum distillation and used as a laxativeAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): liquid paraffin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mineral oil

mineral oil

A colorless, odorless, tasteless oil distilled from petroleum. It is used as a lubricant and, in medicine, as a laxative.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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