pétrole
petroleum, crude oil
noun peh-TROL Less Common
Origin: Medieval Latin 'petroleum' (rock oil)
Also means
paraffin (UK)
Usage Note
Pétrole refers to crude oil or petroleum as a raw resource, not to petrol/gasoline at the pump — that is l'essence. The phrase lampe à pétrole is a kerosene lamp. The adjective pétrolier describes the oil industry or an oil tanker.
Examples
"Le pays exporte beaucoup de pétrole."
Natural Translation
The country exports a lot of petroleum.
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