mineral oil

American  

noun

1. 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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mineral oil British  

noun

1. any oil of mineral origin, esp petroleum

2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): liquid paraffin.  a colourless almost tasteless oily liquid obtained by petroleum distillation and used as a laxative

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mineral oil Scientific  

1. A colorless, odorless, tasteless oil distilled from petroleum. It is used as a lubricant and, in medicine, as a laxative.

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Etymology

Origin of mineral oil

First recorded in 1795–1805

Compare meaning

How does mineral-oil compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mineral oil vs. mineral spirits

Example Sentences

"The baddies that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being high up on the ingredients list, Miss Truman says.

From BBC

Those containers, Mr. Gautier added, held mostly mineral oils and compounds that did not pose an immediate risk to the environment or public safety.

From New York Times

India mainly exports aluminum, organic chemicals, and iron and steel to Greece, whose exports to India include minerals, mineral oils, sulfur, aluminum foil, electrical machinery and equipment and building stones.

From Seattle Times

They included Jolly Ranchers hard sweets containing mineral oil, which if contaminated with other compounds can initiate cancer formations.

From BBC

They say the mineral oil he gave as placebos to patients in the control group appeared to increase their coronary plaque, leading to a false conclusion the drug worked.

From Los Angeles Times