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  • oleo
    oleo
    noun
  • oleo-
    oleo-
    a combining form meaning “oil,” used in the formation of compound words.
Synonyms

oleo

1 American  
[oh-lee-oh] / ˈoʊ liˌoʊ /

noun

oleos plural
  1. margarine.


oleo- 2 American  
  1. a combining form meaning “oil,” used in the formation of compound words.

    oleograph.


oleo- British  

combining form

  1. oil

    oleomargarine

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of oleo1

First recorded in 1880–85; by shortening of oleomargarine

Origin of oleo-2

< Latin, combining form representing oleum oil

Vocabulary lists containing oleo

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.

The key is oleo saccharum, which sounds like an ingredient from a laboratory, but is really just a process that pulls essential oils from citrus using sugar.

From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2020

But that hope might be oleo, a poor substitute.

From Time • May 13, 2013

Buttermakers thought that Congress had picked the worst possible time to repeal oleo taxes, for butter prices have been slipping and surpluses mounting.

From Time Magazine Archive

But they got potent allies when oleo manufacturers began making their product from the oils of cottonseed and soybeans�raised in the southern and midwestern states.

From Time Magazine Archive

Too tired to mix the saffron-colored powder into the hard cake of oleo, she simply smeared the white stuff on the bread and sprinkled the sugar over it.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

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