Petroleum


[puh-troh-lee-uh m] /pəˈtroʊ li əm/

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.
/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
n.

early 15c. “petroleum, rock oil” (mid-14c. in Anglo-French), from Medieval Latin petroleum, from Latin petra “rock” (see petrous) + oleum “oil” (see oil (n.)).
petroleum
(pə-trō’lē-əm)
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.

Read Also:

  • Petroleum-ether

    noun 1. a flammable, low-boiling hydrocarbon mixture produced by the fractional distillation of petroleum, used as a solvent. noun 1. a volatile mixture of the higher alkane hydrocarbons, obtained as a fraction of petroleum and used as a solvent

  • Petroleum benzin

    petroleum benzin pe·tro·le·um ben·zin (pə-trō’lē-əm běn’zĭn) n. See benzine.

  • Petrolic

    [pi-trol-ik] /pɪˈtrɒl ɪk/ adjective 1. of, relating to, or produced from . /pɛˈtrɒlɪk/ adjective 1. of, relating to, containing, or obtained from petroleum

  • Petrolhead

    /ˈpɛtrəlˌhɛd/ noun 1. (informal) a person who is excessively interested in or is devoted to travelling by car

  • Petroliferous

    [pe-truh-lif-er-uh s] /ˌpɛ trəˈlɪf ər əs/ adjective 1. (of a rock or geologic formation) containing or yielding .


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