pe·tro·le·um (p -tr  l -m)n. A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the earth's surface, can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, fuel and lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and asphalt and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products. [Middle English, from Medieval Latin petr leum : Latin petra, rock; see petrous + Latin leum, oil; see oil.] |
petroleum
Noun
a dark-coloured thick flammable crude oil occurring in sedimentary rocks, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons: the source of petrol and paraffin [Latin petra stone + oleum oil]
| petroleum (p-trl-m) 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. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  petroleum - a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbonsatomic number 6, carbon, C - an abundant nonmetallic tetravalent element occurring in three allotropic forms: amorphous carbon and graphite and diamond; occurs in all organic compounds fossil fuel - fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content oil - a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water resid, residual oil - oil products that remain after petroleum has been distilled |
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