petroleum

[puh-troh-lee-uhm]

noun

1. an oily, thick, flammable, usually dark-colored liquid that is a form of bitumen or a mixture of various hydrocarbons, occurring naturally in various parts of the world and commonly obtained by drilling: used in a natural or refined state as fuel, or separated by distillation into gasoline, naphtha, benzene, kerosene, paraffin, etc.

petroleum

/ pəˈtrəʊlɪəm /

noun

1. a dark-coloured thick flammable crude oil occurring in sedimentary rocks around the Persian Gulf, in parts of North and South America, and below the North Sea, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. Fractional distillation separates the crude oil into petrol, paraffin, diesel oil, lubricating oil, etc. Fuel oil, paraffin wax, asphalt, and carbon black are extracted from the residue

petroleum

1. A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the Earth's surface. It can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, paraffin wax, asphalt, and fuel and lubricating oils, and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products. It is believed to originate from the accumulated remains of fossil plants and animals, especially in shallow marine environments.

Other Word Forms

• petroleous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of petroleum¹

1520–30; < Medieval Latin: literally, rock oil, equivalent to Latin petr ( a ) rock (< Greek pétra ) + oleum oil

Word History and Origins

Origin of petroleum¹

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin petra stone + oleum oil

Example Sentences

The company said it has "sufficient crude oil reserves for processing at this time, while petrol stations are fully supplied with all types of petroleum products".

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Hollub gets high marks for her operational skills, reflecting her background as a petroleum engineer.

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"I saw people with bottles filled with petroleum. They got it from the motorbikes. They started attacking the parliament," said Ms Pandey.

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She said she understands there are environmental concerns, but “at the end of the day, our purpose was an issue of petroleum supply.”

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But such claims are misleading, according to experts such as David DiCarlo, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s petroleum engineering school.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• crude oil 
• fossil fuel 
• fuel 
• gas 
• gasoline 
• kerosene 
• natural gas 
• petrol