Skip to content

mazout

fuel oil, heating oil

noun mah-ZOO Rare

Origin: From Russian 'mazut'.

Usage Note

Mazout is the standard French term for heavy fuel oil used in domestic heating systems — equivalent to British 'heating oil' or American 'fuel oil'. It is distinct from gazole/diesel used in vehicles. A citerne à mazout is the storage tank, and un brûleur à mazout is the oil burner. The word is widely used in Belgium and Switzerland as well as France.

Examples

"La chaudière à mazout consomme beaucoup d'énergie."

Natural Translation

The oil-fired boiler consumes a lot of energy.

Explore French by topic