paraffin
[par-uh-fin]
|
noun
a white or colorless, tasteless, odorless, water-insoluble, solid substance not easily acted upon by reagents, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons chiefly of the alkane series, obtained from crude petroleum: used in candles, for forming preservative coatings and seals, for waterproofing paper, etc.
Chemistry.
- any member of the alkane series.
- one of the higher members of the alkane series, solid at ordinary temperatures, having a boiling point above 300°C, which largely constitutes the commercial form of this substance.
Also called paraffin oil. British. kerosene.
verb (used with object)
to cover or impregnate with paraffin.
Origin of paraffin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for paraffin
Historical Examples of paraffin
The necessity for this coating of sulphur or paraffin you will understand by an experiment.
The Story of a Tinder-boxCharles Meymott Tidy
The hot water will heat the turpentine, and the turpentine will melt the paraffin.
Boy Scouts HandbookBoy Scouts of America
Then pile your tent into a tub and pour in the turpentine and paraffin mixture.
Boy Scouts HandbookBoy Scouts of America
The paraffin must be removed by toluol before proceeding further.
Histology of the BloodPaul Ehrlich
After about one minute the paper may be thrust below the paraffin to soak.
On Laboratory ArtsRichard Threlfall
paraffin
less commonly paraffine (ˈpærəˌfiːn)
noun
verb (tr)
Word Origin for paraffin
C19: from German, from Latin parum too little + affinis adjacent; so called from its chemical inertia
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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
paraffin
[păr′ə-fĭn]
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.