Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Petrol
/ˈpɛtrəl/noun
Refined liquid fuel for spark-ignition engines.
The Greek roots
πέτρα
pétra
rock, stone
ἔλαιον
élaion
olive oil
Literally: “rock oil”
The story of the word
British drivers fill up with a shortened medieval Latin word for the crude seepage found in rock. Petrol was pushed into general use in the 1890s by London refiners selling motor spirit, while American English kept gasoline. The Greek half is only the first syllable pair: oleum is Latin, though Latin itself took it from Greek élaion.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → French → English
- First recorded
- 1890s
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
Same family
petroleumpetrifypetroglyphPeter
In a sentence
We coasted the last mile on fumes and prayed the petrol station was open.