Where does “petrol” come from?
Petrol comes from French pétrole, from Latin petroleum, a compound of petra (rock) and oleum (oil), from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (elaion, olive oil).
petrol (English): Petroleum, a fluid consisting of a mixture of...
Definitions
- Petroleum, a fluid consisting of a mixture of...
Ancestry of “petrol”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | pétrole | petroleum; oil; hydrocarbon |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | petroleum | — |
| 3 | Latin | oleum | olive oil; the palaestra |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἔλαιον | olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil; any... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἐλαία | olive tree; olive; naevus |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | elaíwā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | loiwom | — |
Words derived from “petrol”