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petro

[pe-troh]
adjective
  1. of or relating to petroleum or the petroleum industry.
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noun
  1. Canadian. the federally owned petroleum industry.
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Origin of petro

First recorded in 1970–75; independent use of petro-2

petro-1

  1. a combining form meaning “rock,” “stone,” used in the formation of compound words: petrology.
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Also petri-; especially before a vowel, petr-.

Origin of petro-1

< Greek, combining form of pétra rock, pétros a stone

petro-2

  1. a combining form meaning “petroleum,” “the extraction and export of petroleum,” used in the formation of compound words: petrochemistry; petropower.
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Origin of petro-2

extracted from petroleum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for petro

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • But what is distance to Petro, whose strong wings carry him lightly?

    Bird Stories

    Edith M. Patch

  • So bad luck had come not only to Eve and Petro, but to the story of their lives.

    Bird Stories

    Edith M. Patch

  • "Now, Zoe and Petro, it is your time to help," she said laughing.

    Our Little Grecian Cousin

    Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

  • "You will have your cousin Petro to play with," said her uncle.

    Our Little Grecian Cousin

    Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

  • "Mother brought the washing and we have been here since morning," said Petro.

    Our Little Grecian Cousin

    Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

British Dictionary definitions for petro

petro-

before a vowel petr-

combining form
  1. indicating stone or rockpetrology
  2. indicating petroleum, its products, etcpetrochemical
  3. of or relating to a petroleum-producing countrypetrostate
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Word Origin

from Greek petra rock or petros stone
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

Word Origin and History for petro

petro-

1

before vowels petr-, word-forming element used from 19c., from comb. form of Greek petros "stone," petra "rock" (see petrous).

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petro-

2

word-forming element used from mid-20c. to mean "of or having to do with petroleum products," from petroleum.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
petro in Medicine

petro-

pref.
  1. Rock; stone; stone-like hardness:petrous.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.