petroleum
Pronunciation
Forms
petroleum n (genitive petroleī); second declension[1]
Etymology
It is formed from Latin petra (“rock”) + oleum (“oil”), “rock oil”, in Medieval Latin.[2][3] Wiktionary calls it a blend of petra and oleum.[1] Petra is borrowed from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétrā, “rock”), and oleum goes back to ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”).[1][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
The earliest record in the DMLBS is from 1198, an account entry that prices an ounce of it at twelve shillings: pro j uncia de petroleo xij sol.[2]
Semantic evolution
Medieval writers used it for the mineral oil that seeps out of rocks;[2] one manuscript glosses it as “oil of stone” in English.[2] Spellings such as petroleon, petrolium and petreleum occur.[2][4] It is also recorded in a 15th-century Polish source.[5]
The word passed into Anglo-French in the mid-14th century and into English in the early 15th,[3] and Portuguese also borrowed it.[1] It remained the New Latin term.[1]
Timeline
- 1198 – An account entry prices an ounce of petroleum at twelve shillings.[2]
- mid-14th century – The word appears in Anglo-French.[3]
- early 15th century – English borrows it as petroleum.[3]
- 15th century – A Polish source records it.[5]
Meanings
Noun
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl