Etymologically
Log in

paraffin

Etymology and origin of the English word paraffin

History Permalink

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpæɹ.ə.fɪn/ (UK); /ˈpɛɹ.ə.fɪn/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from German Paraffin,[2][3][4][5][6] coined about 1830 by the chemist Karl von Reichenbach[4] from Latin parum (“too little”) and Latin affinis (“bordering on, related”),[2][3][4][5][6] because the substance has little affinity for, and reacts little with, other substances.[2][3][4][6] It is related to affinity.[3][4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A white, waxy, tasteless substance, a mixture of hydrocarbons, first obtained from wood tar (1838; by 1832 in Etymonline).[3][5][7][4]

Semantic evolution

Reichenbach named the liquid form eupion, but paraffin (first paraffin oil) was the standard name for it in English by 1860.[4][7] In 1872 the chemist Watts made the word a general name for the saturated hydrocarbons, the alkane series.[7][2][5] The verb, to treat with paraffin, is from 1876.[7]

Timeline

  • about 1830 – German Paraffin coined.[4]
  • 1838 – in English.[3][5][7]
  • 1861 – paraffin oil, kerosene.[7]
  • 1872 – a saturated hydrocarbon.[7]
  • 1876 – verb.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A white or colourless, waxy mixture of hydrocarbons used in candles, wax paper and sealing; paraffin wax.
  2. Any member of the alkane series.
  3. (chiefly British) Kerosene.

Verb

  1. To coat, soak or treat with paraffin.

Word family

  • paraffinic
  • cycloparaffin
  • nitroparaffin
  • paraffinize
  • affinity
  • alkane
  • kerosene

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Paraffin.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/paraffin. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·