petroleum

/pi'trouljəm/

Thân thiện

A worker checks a valve at a petroleum refinery.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A naturally occurring, dark, viscous liquid mixture of hydrocarbons found beneath the Earth's surface: Petroleum is a fossil fuel formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms. It is a crucial raw material, refined to produce fuels like gasoline and diesel, as well as many chemical products.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The country's economy depends heavily on the export of petroleum.
  • Crude petroleum is pumped from underground reservoirs and transported to refineries.
  • Plastics and synthetic fibers are often derived from petroleum.

Advanced Usage

• "Petroleum jelly": A semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons, used as a topical ointment.
  • She applied petroleum jelly to soothe her dry skin.
• "Petroleum industry": The collective businesses involved in the exploration, extraction, refining, and sale of petroleum.
  • He has worked in the petroleum industry for over twenty years.

Variants and Related Words

• Petrol (n, chiefly British): A refined fuel for internal-combustion engines; gasoline.
  • I need to stop and put some petrol in the car.
• Petrochemical (n): A chemical substance obtained from petroleum or natural gas.
  • Ethylene is a fundamental petrochemical used to make plastics.

Synonyms

• Crude oil: Unrefined petroleum.
• Black gold: An informal term for petroleum, emphasizing its economic value.
• Fossil fuel: A natural fuel such as petroleum, coal, or gas, formed from ancient organic matter.

Related Phrases

• Petroleum reservoir: A subsurface pool of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
• Petroleum derivative: Any product obtained through the refining of petroleum (e.g., kerosene, asphalt).

Học thuật

Noun

1. a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons

Từ đồng nghĩa

• crude oil
• crude
• rock oil
• fossil oil
• oil