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mineral oil

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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Words nearby mineral oil

miner's right, mineral, mineral charcoal, mineral jelly, mineral kingdom, mineral oil, mineral pitch, mineral spirits, mineral spring, mineral tar, mineral water

Origin of mineral oil

First recorded in 1795–1805
Also called liquid petrolatum.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mineral oil

  • Mineral-oil lamps introduced the danger of explosions of the vapors produced by evaporation.

    Artificial Light|M. Luckiesh

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

Medical definitions for mineral oil

mineral oil

n.

Any of various light hydrocarbon oils, especially a distillate of petroleum.
A refined distillate of petroleum, used as a laxative.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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.