petroleum

/pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm/

Middle English, "mineral oil," borrowed from Medieval Latin, "mineral oil, crude oil," from Latin petra "rock" (borrowed from Greek pétra) + oleum "oil"

noun

  1. an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes

noun

  1. a neutral unctuous odorless tasteless substance obtained from petroleum and used especially in ointments and dressings

noun

  1. a compressed gas that consists of flammable hydrocarbons (such as propane and butane) and is used especially as fuel or as raw material for chemical synthesis