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naphtha

American  
[naf-thuh, nap-] / ˈnæf θə, ˈnæp- /

noun

  1. a colorless, volatile petroleum distillate, usually an intermediate product between gasoline and benzine, used as a solvent, fuel, etc.

  2. any of various similar liquids distilled from other products.

  3. petroleum.

naphtha British  
/ ˈnæfθə, ˈnæp- /

noun

  1. a distillation product from coal tar boiling in the approximate range 80–170°C and containing aromatic hydrocarbons

  2. a distillation product from petroleum boiling in the approximate range 100–200°C and containing aliphatic hydrocarbons: used as a solvent and in petrol

  3. an obsolete name for petroleum

"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
naphtha Scientific  
/ năf′thə /

  1. Any of several liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons made by refining petroleum or by breaking down coal tar. Naphtha is usually flammable, and is used as a solvent and as an ingredient in gasoline. It is also used to make plastics.

Other Word Forms

  • naphthous adjective

Etymology

Origin of naphtha

1565–75; < Latin < Greek náphthas, perhaps < Iranian *nafta, derivative of *nab- to be damp; compare Avestan napta- damp, Persian naft naphtha

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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.

One was carrying Russian naphtha—a diluent Venezuela uses to mix with heavy oil—to the South American country when it turned tail in the Indian Ocean; the others were empty.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last weekend, two oil tankers identified by the European Union as having transported banned Russian oil arrived in Venezuela with light crude and naphtha.

From The Wall Street Journal

It posted images showing the blaze still raging Saturday, likely fueled by the naphtha on board.

From Seattle Times

The oil can replace fossil ingredients like naphtha and gases to manufacture ethylene and propylene.

From Science Daily

The fire damaged two giant storage tanks for naphtha, a component in the production of gasoline and jet fuels.

From Seattle Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.