whale oil

noun

oil rendered from whale blubber, formerly widely used as a fuel for lamps and for making soap and candles.

Nearby words

whakapapa, whale, whale away, whale catcher, whale of a time, whale oil, whale shark, whaleback, whaleboat, whalebone, whalebone whale

Origin of whale oil

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

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

Examples from the Web for whale oil

On the 29th of April the Essex took the Montezuma, with a cargo of fourteen hundred barrels of whale-oil.
Pike & Cutlass|George Gibbs
The refinery for whale-oil, lately established at Rouen, seems to be an object worthy of national attention.
Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson|Thomas Jefferson
The most general remedy is to wash trees or plants with a strong decoction of some offensive herb, or with whale-oil soapsuds.
Soil Culture|J. H. Walden
In order to judge of its importance, the different qualities of whale-oil must be noted.
Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson|Thomas Jefferson

On the left is the "Library," with a curious collection of whale-oil chandeliers.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 26, August, 1880|Various

British Dictionary definitions for whale oil

whale oil

noun

oil obtained either from the blubber of whales (train oil) or the head of the sperm whale (sperm oil)

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