What does petrol mean?
Petrol is the fuel used in petrol engines, particularly in cars, vans, and motorcycles. It is the standard British English term, while American English normally uses gasoline. The word can refer to the fuel itself, as in “the car is low on petrol,” or to the broader matter of fuel supply and pricing, as in “petrol rose in price.” Petrol is usually treated as an uncountable noun, so it does not normally take a plural form. Although it is strongly associated with British usage, petrol is also understood in many other English-speaking countries. The word has a distinctive history: it derives from the French pétrole and ultimately from the Latin petroleum, a combination of petra, meaning “rock,” and oleum, meaning “oil.” Thus, the name refers to oil obtained from the earth, reflecting the fuel's origins in crude petroleum.
nounPetrol is the fuel used in petrol engines, especially in cars and motorcycles. In British English, it is the usual term for what is called gasoline in American English.
- A volatile liquid fuel used to power petrol engines, especially in cars and motorcycles.
"The driver stopped at the petrol station to fill the tank."
"The car's petrol level is getting low."
"Petrol prices rose sharply during the disruption to fuel supplies."
Petrol is normally an uncountable noun when meaning the fuel.
"The station was out of petrol."
The word petrol comes from the same Latin root as petroleum, literally meaning 'rock oil'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does petrol come from?
Petrol entered English in the late 19th century from French pétrole, a diminutive related to Latin petroleum. Petroleum was formed from Latin petra, meaning “rock,” and oleum, meaning “oil,” literally “rock oil.” The same root underlies words such as petrify, petrology, and petrochemical, while petroleum remains the direct source and close cognate of petrol.
Related word forms
How petrol is actually used
Petrol is the standard British English term. In American English, gasoline is normally used instead. The word is generally uncountable when referring to the fuel.
Easily confused with petrol
Gasoline is the standard American English term for the fuel that British English usually calls petrol.
In American English, gas can mean the fuel for an engine, while in British English it commonly means a gaseous substance.