1859 D. A. Wells (ed. 5) 301 This gas was discovered in 1796 by an association of Dutch chemists, who gave it the name of ‘olefiant’ (oil-producer), from its formation with chlorine of a compound having the appearance of oil.
1975 Aug. 287/1 By the 1980s,..Britain may rank among the top 10 oil producers in the world.