petroleum
nounUS /pəˈtɹoʊliəm/
Etymology Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin petroleum. Doublet of petrol.
1
A flammable liquid ranging in color from clear to very dark brown and black, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring naturally in deposits under the Earth's surface.
- petroleum-based products
- Coal and petroleum do not occur hap-hazard in nature, but the aggregate occurrence of each product in any region forms a definite, limited horizon, which, in its continuance, is independent of the bedding plane.1940, William Plotts, Isogeotherm, Or Monist Theory of Stratified Mineral Occurrence and Origin, page 7:
- Synonyms
- black gold, dino juice, dino oil, dinosaur juice, dinosaur oil, gas, gasoline, juice, oil, petrol, petroleum, Texas tea
- Derived terms
- antipetroleum, biopetroleum, liquefied petroleum gas, nonpetroleum, packaged petroleum product, petrol, petroleum coke, Petroleum County, petroleum ether, petroleum fly, petroleum jelly, petroleum reservoir, petroleum spirit, petroleum tanker, petronoia, postpetroleum