naphtha
noun
naph·tha ˈnaf-thə 
nonstandard
ˈnap- 1
: any of various volatile often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents
2
: petroleum
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The Cardon refinery’s naphtha reformer, with a capacity of 45,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), produces high-octane components for gasoline and is key to the country’s gasoline supply. 
The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2022 At the same time as the U.S. refinery supply squeeze, European countries weaning themselves off exports of Russian oil and naphtha—a petroleum product used to make fuel—are looking to the U.S. to supply more of the world’s fuel. Sophie Mellor, Fortune, 18 May 2022 To make plastic, the petroleum is first refined into naphtha and then into plastic materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene. Austen Hufford, WSJ, 23 Mar. 2022 Two years later, 13 miners were buried alive in the central shaft of the tunnel when a candle ignited naphtha fumes, setting off an explosion and filling the shaft with water. BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2021 Some 20% of Asia’s naphtha, a precursor to benzene and other key chemicals for plastics, is sourced through the Suez Canal. Tim Mcdonnell, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2021 Plastics manufacturers in Asia could soon see the price of raw petrochemical materials like naphtha rise, Wood Mackenzie analyst Mark Williams wrote in its analysis. Tim Mcdonnell, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2021 Global appetite for oil remains below pre-pandemic levels despite a pickup in consumption of gasoline, naphtha and fuel oil, which is used to heat homes and power ships. Joe Wallace, WSJ, 7 Feb. 2021 Crude oil can be converted into naphtha, and gas converted into ethane, which are processed at sprawling industrial compounds into ethylene and plastic resins, then used to create consumer goods like grocery bags and single-use water bottles. Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2020 See More
The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2022 At the same time as the U.S. refinery supply squeeze, European countries weaning themselves off exports of Russian oil and naphtha—a petroleum product used to make fuel—are looking to the U.S. to supply more of the world’s fuel. Sophie Mellor, Fortune, 18 May 2022 To make plastic, the petroleum is first refined into naphtha and then into plastic materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene. Austen Hufford, WSJ, 23 Mar. 2022 Two years later, 13 miners were buried alive in the central shaft of the tunnel when a candle ignited naphtha fumes, setting off an explosion and filling the shaft with water. BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2021 Some 20% of Asia’s naphtha, a precursor to benzene and other key chemicals for plastics, is sourced through the Suez Canal. Tim Mcdonnell, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2021 Plastics manufacturers in Asia could soon see the price of raw petrochemical materials like naphtha rise, Wood Mackenzie analyst Mark Williams wrote in its analysis. Tim Mcdonnell, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2021 Global appetite for oil remains below pre-pandemic levels despite a pickup in consumption of gasoline, naphtha and fuel oil, which is used to heat homes and power ships. Joe Wallace, WSJ, 7 Feb. 2021 Crude oil can be converted into naphtha, and gas converted into ethane, which are processed at sprawling industrial compounds into ethylene and plastic resins, then used to create consumer goods like grocery bags and single-use water bottles. Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin, from Greek, of Iranian origin; akin to Persian neft naphtha
First Known Use
1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
naphtha
noun
naph·tha ˈnaf-thə
ˈnap-thə
: any of various usually flammable liquids prepared from coal or petroleum and used especially to dissolve substances
Medical Definition
naphtha
noun
naph·tha ˈnaf-thə ˈnap-
ˈnap- : any of various volatile often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents