Meaning & use
Petroleum
Last updated
A naturally occurring, oily liquid fossil fuel found underground, refined into products such as gasoline, diesel, and plastics.
See it in a sentence
The region's economy depends heavily on petroleum exports.
Refineries process crude petroleum into dozens of different fuels and chemicals.
A note on using this word
Petroleum comes from Latin "petra" (rock) and "oleum" (oil), literally meaning "rock oil," reflecting how it seeps naturally from certain rock formations.
Words with a similar meaning
crude oiloil
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