oil
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oil¹
- /ɔɪl/ US, UK
- [ˈɔ.jəɫ] US, UK
- /ɔl/ Southern US
Sounds like Oi'll · Rhymes with -ɔɪl, -ɔl
Where it comes from
From Middle English oyle, oile (“olive oil”), borrowed from Old French oile, from Latin oleum (“oil, olive oil”), from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”), from ἐλαία (elaía, “olive”). Compare Proto-Slavic *lojь. More at olive. Doublet of oleum. Supplanted Middle English ele (“oil”), from Old English ele (“oil”), also from Latin. Displaced native Old English smireness (“ointment, oil”).
noun oils · oyl
- Liquid fat.
- Petroleum-based liquid used as fuel or lubricant.
- Petroleum. Oil is found in countries such as Saudi Arabia and is transported all over the world.
- An oil painting. Yet, in another way, I was unable to put Picasso's oils in the same class as Cezanne's, or even (which will no doubt shock many readers) as Renoir's.
- Oil paint. I prefer to paint in oil
-
Synonym of good oil (“truth; genuine information”).
2011, Peter Kocan, The Treatment and the Cure
“Give us the oil, mate,” you say. “Aw, there isn't much to it,” Bill Greene says.
Similar: good oil
oil²
- /ɔɪl/ US, UK
- [ˈɔ.jəɫ] US, UK
- /ɔl/ Southern US
Sounds like Oi'll · Rhymes with -ɔɪl, -ɔl
verb oils · oiling · oiled · oyl
- To lubricate with oil. Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to a room of the Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and the Lion shook the dust out of his mane, and the Scarecrow patted himself into his best shape, and the Woodman polished his tin and oiled his joints.
- To grease with oil for cooking.
- To fuel with oil.
- To say in an unctuous manner. "Do you need a drink?" oils Robert Ryan to the disinterested Stanwyck in Clash By Night; "Let's say that's what I need," she sneers back.
OIL³
noun OILs
- Abbreviation of oxygen-iodine laser
Oil⁴
Where it comes from
From Indonesian Oil.
proper noun Oils
- A surname from Indonesian
- A township in Perry County, Indiana, United States, named after Oil Creek (Ohio River tributary).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: lubricate, lube, anele, anoint, oil color, funnel, naphtha, oilfield, lubrication, lubricant, petrochemical, petrol, lubricating, gasoline, tar, kerosene
Translations
Every language
noun liquid fat
| Español | aceite, óleo, saín |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 기름 gireum, 유 yu |
| 日本語 | 油 abura, 油 yu |
| 中文 | 油 yóu |
| हिन्दी | तेल tel |
| Kiswahili | mafuta |
| Português | óleo |
| Français | huile |
| Deutsch | Öl |
| Italiano | olio |
| Ελληνικά | λάδι ládi, έλαιο élaio |
| Română | ulei |
| Русский | ма́сло máslo |
| Tiếng Việt | dầu |
| العربية | زَيْت zayt |
| עברית | שֶׁמֶן shémen |
noun petroleum-based liquid
| Español | petróleo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 기름 gireum, 석유 seogyu |
| 日本語 | 石油 sekiyu, 油 abura |
| 中文 | 石油 shíyóu |
| हिन्दी | पेट्रोलियम peṭroliyam, शिलारस śilāras |
| Português | petróleo, óleo |
| Français | pétrole |
| Deutsch | Erdöl, Öl, Petroleum |
| Italiano | petrolio, benzina |
| Ελληνικά | πετρέλαιο petrélaio, ορυκτέλαιο oryktélaio |
| Română | petrol, păcură, benzină, țiței |
| Русский | нефть neftʹ, петро́леум petróleum |
| Tiếng Việt | dầu mỏ |
| العربية | نَفْط nafṭ, زَيْت zayt |
| עברית | שֶׁמֶן shémen, נֵפְטְ neft |
noun oil produced from plants
| Español | aceite vegetal |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 식물유 singmuryu |
| 日本語 | 植物油 shokubutsuyu |
| 中文 | 植物油 zhíwùyóu, 素油 sùyóu, 菜油 càiyóu |
| Português | óleo vegetal |
| Français | huile végétale |
| Deutsch | Pflanzenöl |
| Italiano | olio vegetale |
| Ελληνικά | σπορέλαιο sporélaio |
| Română | ulei vegetal, untdelemn |
| Русский | расти́тельное ма́сло rastítelʹnoje máslo |
| עברית | שמן צמחי shémen tsimkhí, שמן shémen |
Talk about this word "oil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/oil. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. oil. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/oil "oil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/oil.Cite this
@misc{oil_2026,
title = {oil},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/oil},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
