noun / verb

oil

OYL/ɔɪl/

A greasy liquid that does not mix with water.

Golden cooking oil fills a glass cruet beside a shallow dish.

A clear glass cruet of golden cooking oil beside a shallow dish containing the same glossy liquid, with a few olives and an olive sprig establishing the familiar cooking substance.

Etymology

Latin oleum meant olive oil. English first used the word specifically for olive oil, then extended it to other fatty, greasy liquids, including petroleum.

In context

Lumenarra7:30

emissions dramatically compared with fuels used decades ago. Behind every gallon of fuel at a gas station lies an extraordinary amount of chemistry, engineering, and quality control. Most people think oil becomes fuel

How Crude Oil Becomes the Fuel That Powers the World | United State | Lumenarra | #OilRefinery

More examples

Oil floats on the water instead of mixing with it.
She oils the squeaky hinge before closing the door.
The artist works in oils rather than watercolors.

Forms

oil · oils · oiled · oiling

oily adjective — Containing, covered with, or resembling oil.

Similar words

grease: Usually thicker than oil and often partly solid.
lubricant: Reduces friction between surfaces but need not be oil.