Petrol Means Rock Oil
Petrol is motor fuel. The word combines the Latin for rock and oil, and America calls the same thing gasoline.
Petrol is refined motor fuel, called *gasoline* in North America. The name is geological: *petroleum* combines Latin *petra*, rock, with *oleum*, oil — oil found in rock. *Gasoline* comes from *gas* with chemical suffixes, and the American short form *gas* causes constant confusion for British visitors expecting a vapour.
- Motor fuel. *A tank of petrol.*
- Gasoline — the American term. *Cheap gasoline.*
- Petroleum — crude oil. *Petroleum products.*
- Petrol station — where fuel is sold. *The nearest petrol station.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| British | petrol | Unleaded petrol. |
| American | gasoline | Regular gasoline. |
| American short | gas | Fill up with gas. |
| Related | petroleum | Crude petroleum. |
| Related | diesel | Diesel fuel. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Petroleum means rock oil.Latin *petra* and *oleum*.
- Americans say gas, not petrol.Short for gasoline.
- Octane rating measures knock resistance.Not power or quality.
Fuel terms
- Octane rating — resistance to premature ignition, not a quality measure
- Unleaded — without the tetraethyl lead once added
- Diesel — ignited by compression, not spark
- Refining — separating crude oil into fractions by boiling point
- Petrol and gasoline — the same product, different names
From French *pétrole*, from Medieval Latin *petroleum*, from Latin *petra*, rock, and *oleum*, oil.
Petrol or gasoline?
Petrol is British and Commonwealth, gasoline American, usually shortened to gas. The product is the same.
Does higher octane mean more power?
Not in itself. Octane measures resistance to premature ignition. It benefits engines designed for it and does nothing for those that are not.