petroleum

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a naturally occurring oily liquid mixture of hydrocarbons found in underground rock formations and refined into fuels and chemical products; crude oil

   The refinery separates petroleum into fuels, lubricants, and chemical feedstocks.

Common collocations

• petroleum geologist Noun + noun

From Medieval Latin petroleum, literally "rock oil," from Latin petra ("rock") + oleum ("oil"). Petrol is a later shortening from the same word and therefore an etymological doublet.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images