# oil

Pronunciation: say "OYL" /ɔɪl/

## Noun

1. A thick, slippery liquid that does not mix with water, from plants, animals or minerals, especially the liquid fats used in cooking.
   - Simple: A thick, slippery liquid that does not mix with water, like the kind used for cooking.
   - _The recipe calls for two tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt._
   - _Heating the oil too quickly can make it smoke and turn bitter._
2. Petroleum: the naturally occurring liquid pumped from deposits beneath the earth's surface.
   - Simple: A dark liquid found deep underground that we turn into fuel.
   - _Geologists found oil trapped in porous rock far below the desert._
   - _The platform pumps crude oil from the seabed around the clock._
3. A liquid drawn from a plant and valued for its aroma or taste, or added to products for the skin, the hair, or health.
   - Simple: A liquid from a plant, used for its smell or taste, or in things for skin, hair, or health.
   - _A single drop of peppermint oil gives the frosting a cool, fresh flavor._
   - _The massage therapist blended eucalyptus and rosemary oils for my sore shoulders._
4. A petroleum-based liquid used as a fuel or as a lubricant for machinery.
   - Simple: A liquid made from petroleum that fuels engines or keeps moving parts running smoothly.
   - _The mechanic drained the dirty oil and poured in a fresh quart._
   - _Without enough oil, the bearings overheat and seize._
6. A painting made with oil paints.
   - Simple: A picture made using oil paints.
   - _A small oil of a country church hung above the mantel._
   - _The museum displayed early oils by the Dutch masters._
7. Paint made by mixing pigment with a drying oil, valued by artists for its rich color and slow drying.
   - Simple: A thick, slow-drying paint mixed with oil, used by artists.
   - _She thinned the oil with a little turpentine before laying in the sky._
   - _Working in oil lets a painter rework the same passage for days._

## Verb

5. To put oil on something, for example to make its parts move smoothly, to stop food sticking, or to protect or condition it.
   - Simple: To put oil on something, for example a machine so it runs smoothly or a pan so food does not stick.
   - _She oiled the sewing machine so the needle wouldn't stick._
   - _Mechanics oil the moving joints during every routine service._
8. To supply a ship or engine with oil as its fuel.
   - Simple: To give a ship or machine oil to burn as fuel.
   - _The fleet oiled its destroyers at the forward base before the campaign._
   - _Tankers oil the warships at sea so the patrol never has to return to port._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To say something in a smooth, ingratiating manner meant to flatter or win favor.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 6–7** — The noun goes back to Ancient Greek élaion ("olive oil"), a word formed from elaía ("olive"), which gave Latin oleum ("oil, olive oil"). Old French oile came from the Latin, and Middle English borrowed it as oyle, oile ("olive oil"). It is a doublet of oleum, and it replaced the older Middle English ele.
**Meanings 5, 8** — The verb comes from Middle English oilen, oylen, formed from the noun oil.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/oil (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).