oil

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
oil/ɔɪl/

▶noun

• 1 a viscous liquid derived from petroleum, used especially as a fuel or lubricant.

  ■ petroleum.

• 2 any of various viscous liquids which are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents and are obtained from animals or plants.

• 3 Chemistry any of a group of natural esters of glycerol and various fatty acids, which are liquid at room temperature. Compare with fat.

• 4 oil paint.

• 5 Austral./NZ informal information or facts.

▶verb

• 1 lubricate, coat, or impregnate with oil.

• 2 supply with oil as fuel.

– phrases
oil the wheels Brit. help something go smoothly.

– derivatives
oiled adjective.

– origin ME: from Old North. Fr. olie, OFr. oile, from L. oleum ‘(olive) oil’; cf. olea ‘olive’.