oilcan

[ oil-kan ]

/ ˈɔɪlˌkæn /

noun

a can having a long spout through which oil is poured or squirted to lubricate machinery or the like.

Nearby words

oil-harden, oil-immersion objective, oil-plant, oil-seed rape, oilbird, oilcan, oilcloth, oilcup, oildale, oiled, oiled silk

Origin of oilcan

First recorded in 1830–40; oil + can²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for oilcan

Sergeant Silk snatched the oilcan from Joe Halkett's grip and handed it to the fireman.
Sergeant Silk the Prairie Scout|Robert Leighton
He found some waste and an oilcan in the tool-chest, and polished until the metal shone.
Where the Blue Begins|Christopher Morley
On the iron table stood an oilcan, and the small indicator-clock showed a few minutes to ten.
The Tower of Oblivion|Oliver Onions
Telling the fireman he could go to sleep, he moved about the engine with an oilcan and afterwards cleaned the fire.
Brandon of the Engineers|Harold Bindloss

There was a saddlebag with spanner and oilcan, but no clue as to the owner.
The Valley of Fear|Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for oilcan

oilcan

/ (ˈɔɪlˌkæn) /

noun

a container with a long nozzle for applying lubricating oil to machinery

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