Kerosene Meaning
/ˈkɛɹəsiːn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA thin, often colorless or blue or straw-colored petroleum-based fuel, heavier than gasoline/petrol or naphtha but lighter than diesel, used primarily as jet fuel but also for heating and lighting in some remote or impoverished areas.
Sentence Examples
I warned little Mary to leave the kerosene heater alone.
In places where it snows a lot, kerosene is an indispensable item.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old lamp needed a refill of ____ to keep the flame burning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They used a large ____ lamp to light their tent during their camping trip in the woods last weekend.
Word Origin & History
From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -ene; a name trademarked in 1854. An older term for kerosene was carbon oil.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.[…]It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber. Other liquids produced in the refining process, too unstable or smoky for lamplight, were burned or dumped."
— 2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The old lamp needed a refill of ____ to keep the flame burning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They used a large ____ lamp to light their tent during their camping trip in the woods last weekend.