fuel

B1 Topic:Energy & Industry

US /ˈfjuːəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #3056

Meanings

1

noun
A substance such as wood, coal, gas, or oil that is burned to produce heat or power.

Cars need fuel to run.
2

verb
To supply something with fuel.

They stopped to fuel the car before the long drive.
3

noun
Something that makes a feeling or situation stronger.

His angry words were fuel for the argument.
4

verb
To make something stronger or more active.

The new report fueled the debate about climate change.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

4 verb · to make something stronger... stimulate

Word family

Forms fueledfuelingfuelledfuellingfuels

Derived forms agrofuelbiofueldefuele-fuelelectrofuelflex-fuelfuel-poorfueldraulicfuelerfueliefuelishfuelless

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

fossil fuel
a fuel such as coal or oil formed from ancient organic material

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

add fuel to the fire
To make a bad situation or an argument worse.

Simplified etymology

Fuel entered English in the Middle English period and ultimately comes from Latin focus, meaning “hearth.” Its meaning shifted from the place where a fire was laid to the material burned there.

Etymology

From Middle English fuayle, from Old French fouaille, feuaille (“firewood, kindling”), from feu (“fire”), from Late Latin focus (“fire”), from Latin focus (“hearth”), whence English focus. Cognate with Spanish fuego (“fire”), and Portuguese fogo (“fire”).

fuayle Middle English fouaille Old French focus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Energy & Industry

External links

# fuel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈfjuːəl/
**Frequency rank:** 3056

## Meanings
1. A substance such as wood, coal, gas, or oil that is burned to produce heat or power.
2. To supply something with fuel.
3. Something that makes a feeling or situation stronger.
4. To make something stronger or more active.

## Examples
- Cars need fuel to run.
- They stopped to fuel the car before the long drive.
- His angry words were fuel for the argument.
- The new report fueled the debate about climate change.

## Derived Forms
- agrofuel
- biofuel
- defuel
- e-fuel
- electrofuel
- flex-fuel
- fuel-poor
- fueldraulic
- fueler
- fuelie
- fuelish
- fuelless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fuayle
- Root: fouaille
- Root: focus

## Etymology
From Middle English fuayle, from Old French fouaille, feuaille (“firewood, kindling”), from feu (“fire”), from Late Latin focus (“fire”), from Latin focus (“hearth”), whence English focus. Cognate with Spanish fuego (“fire”), and Portuguese fogo (“fire”).

## AI Etymology
Fuel comes from Middle English fuayle, from Old French fouaille, feuaille (“firewood, kindling”), from feu (“fire”), from Late Latin focus (“fire”), from Latin focus (“hearth”), whence English focus. Cognate with Spanish fuego (“fire”), and Portuguese fogo (“fire”). In current use, the main senses are “A substance such as wood, coal, gas, or oil that is burned to produce heat or power” and “To supply something with fuel”.

## Topics
- Energy & Industry

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