ETYM Old Eng. oile, Old Fren. oile, French huile, from Latin oleum; akin to Greek elaion. Related to Olive.
Flammable substance, usually insoluble in water, and composed chiefly of carbon and hydrogen. Oils may be solids (fats and waxes) or liquids. The three main types are: essential oils, obtained from plants; fixed oils, obtained from animals and plants; and mineral oils, obtained chiefly from the refining of petroleum.
Essential oils are volatile liquids that have the odor of their plant source and are used in perfumes, flavoring essences, and in aromatherapy. Fixed oils are mixtures of lipids, of varying consistency, found in both animals (for example, fish oils) and plants (in nuts and seeds); they are used as foods and as lubricants, and in the making of soaps, paints, and varnishes.
Mineral oils are composed of a mixture of hydrocarbons, and are used as fuels and lubricants.
Eight of the 14 top-earning companies in the us in 1990 (led by Exxon with $7 billion in sales) were in the global petroleum industry.
1. A slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water.
2. Paint used by an artist; SYN. oil color.

1. To cover with oil, as if by rubbing
2. To smear, rub over, furnish, or lubricate with oil
3. To take on fuel oil