Definition of petroleum Petroleum

/pʌtɹowˈliʌm/ - [putrowleeum] - pe•tro•le•um

We found 8 definitions of petroleum from 8 different sources.

What does petroleum mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: petroleums
petroleum - a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
		crude oil, crude, rock oil, fossil oil, oil
		oil oil paint containing pigment that is used by an artist
		fossil fuel fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content
		atomic number 6, carbon, c a copy made with carbon paper

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Wiktionary

petroleum (Noun)
A flammable liquid ranging in color from clear to very dark brown and black, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring naturally in deposits under earth surface.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

petroleum (n.)
Rock oil, mineral oil, or natural oil, a dark brown or greenish inflammable liquid, which, at certain points, exists in the upper strata of the earth, from whence it is pumped, or forced by pressure of the gas attending it. It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the methane series, but may vary much in appearance, composition, and properties. It is refined by distillation, and the products include kerosene, benzine, gasoline, paraffin, etc.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

petroleum
A comparatively volatile liquid bitumen composed principally of hydrocarbon, with traces of sulphur, nitrogen or oxygen compounds; can be removed from the earth in a liquid state.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

petroleum
pē-trō′lē-um, n. a liquid inflammable substance issuing or pumped up from the earth in various parts of the world.—ns. Pet′rol, a spirit obtained from petroleum; Petroleur (pā-tro-lār′), one of those Parisians who, with the help of petroleum, set fire to many of the public buildings of Paris in May 1871: an incendiary:—fem. Petroleuse′.—adj. Petrolif′erous, yielding petroleum. [L. petra, rock, oleum, oil.]

Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵

petroleum
Called also rock, mineral, or coal, oil. A natural oil widely distributed over the globe, consisting of carbon and hydrogen, in the proportion of about 88 and 12 per cent. It burns fiercely with a thick black smoke; and attempts, not yet successful, have been made to adapt it as a fuel for steamers.

Wikipedia

Petroleum also called crude oil is a thick and black liquid. It consists mainly of hydrocarbons. It is mainly found in the Middle East, North America, and Russia. It is the most important world energy source. It supplies 38% of the world's energy at present.

Petroleum can be separated into less complex but more useful mixtures by fractional distillation. The process is called oil refining.

Petroleum can be easily transported by pipeline. Treated petroleum can be used as fuels; mainly gasoline ("petrol") for cars and as lubricants.

Problems.

Petroleum resource is limited and non-renewable. Most of it would run out within 70 years.

Burning petroleum gives out carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is oxygen that was already brought to the lungs of people. It can only be renewed by plants.

Crude is chemically speaking a mixture of lots of different chemicals most of which burn well. It is separated by distillation in oil refineries to give separate chemicals such as gasoline (or "petrol") for cars, kerosene for airplanes and bitumen for roads. The bitumen gives crude oil its dark black colour; most of the other chemicals in crude are slightly yellow or colourless.

There is a lot of crude oil left underground. Oil companies quote "reserves" which some people confuse with the actual amount of oil underground, but are more to do with extraction costs. Most of the crude left underground is in the Middle East which is not a politically stable part of the world. Some governments with lots of