The small lawnmower uses ____ for power, not diesel fuel.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The price of ____ has risen significantly over the past few months, making it more expensive to commute to work.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂-der.
Ancient Greek χαῦνος (khaûnos)
Ancient Greek χάος (kháos)der.
Dutch gasbor.
English gas
Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon
Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion)der.
Latin oleumder.
English -ol
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos
Proto-Italic *-īnos
Latin -īnusder.
Old French -inbor.
Middle English -in
English -ine
English gasoline
From gas + -ol (suffix used in the names of oils) + -ine (suffix used in the names of derivatives). So called because it was originally used in the manufacture and enrichment of domestic gases, such as air gas.
Some sources suggest that the name originated from the brand name Cazeline, a petroleum-derived lighting oil, from the surname of the man who first marketed it in 1862, John Cassell, and the suffix –eline, from Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “oil, olive oil”), from ἐλαία (elaía, “olive”). Gasolene is found from 1863, and gasoline from 1864.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] naphtha of specific gravity exceeding eighty degrees […] and of the kind usually known as gasoline, shall be subject to a tax of five per centum ad valorem."
— 1864, Congress of the United States, Internal Revenue Act §94:
"So you punched out a window for ventilation. Was that before or after you noticed you were standing in a lake of gasoline?"
— 1991, Backdraft, Robert DeNiro (actor):
"Localities across New Jersey imposed curfews to prevent looting. In Monmouth, Ocean and other counties, people waited for hours for gasoline at the few stations that had electricity. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare."
— 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, “New Jersey Continues to Cope with Hurricane Sandy”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2021, retrieved 31 Oct 2012:
"If successful, Edison and Ford—in 1914—would move society away from the ever more expensive and then universally known killing hazards of gasoline cars: […] ."
— 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion: