| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024pe•tro•le•um /pəˈtroʊliəm/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]- Chemistryan oily, thick, easily burned liquid that is a mixture of various hydrocarbons, used as fuel or made into gasoline, benzene, kerosene, etc.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024pe•tro•le•um (pə trō′lē əm),USA pronunciation n. - Chemistryan oily, thick, flammable, usually dark-colored liquid that is a form of bitumen or a mixture of various hydrocarbons, occurring naturally in various parts of the world and commonly obtained by drilling: used in a natural or refined state as fuel, or separated by distillation into gasoline, naphtha, benzene, kerosene, paraffin, etc.
- Greek pétra) + oleum oil
- Medieval Latin: literally, rock oil, equivalent. to Latin petr(a) rock (
- 1520–30
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: petroleum /pəˈtrəʊlɪəm/ n - a dark-coloured thick flammable crude oil occurring in sedimentary rocks around the Persian Gulf, in parts of North and South America, and below the North Sea, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. Fractional distillation separates the crude oil into petrol, paraffin, diesel oil, lubricating oil, etc. Fuel oil, paraffin wax, asphalt, and carbon black are extracted from the residue
Etymology: 16th Century: from Medieval Latin, from Latin petra stone + oleum oil |