whale oil

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noun

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

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of whale oil

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Words nearby whale oil

whalebone whale, whale catcher, whaleman, Whalen, whale of a time, whale oil, whaler, whaler shark, Whales, whale shark, whalesucker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whale oil in a sentence

By 1840, palm oil was cheap enough to completely replace tallow or whale oil in such products as soap and candles.
The fascinating and complex rise of palm oil|Purbita Saha|June 29, 2021|Popular-Science
The State Department found that with high oil prices, the tar sands would be mined for oil, pipeline or no.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Pulling oil from the tar sands is costly, even more so when you tack transportation costs on top.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The focus here was on how fast oil would come out of the Canadian fields.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Total oil production figures include crude oil, natural gas liquids, and other liquid energy products.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On top of oil, the United States produces significantly more natural gas than Saudi Arabia.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In pursuing his alchemical researches, he discovered Prussian blue, and the animal oil which bears his name.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Movement to know that she was attired in appropriate costume—short frock, biped continuations and a mannish oil-skin hat.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
A very small amount may be present after ingestion of large quantities of cod-liver oil or other fats.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Go carefully over the film with an oil-immersion lens, using a mechanical stage if available.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The unindustrious pupil imagines that “p” represents 8, and not “f” or “v,” and translates 1845 into “To pour oil” .
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

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