different between vaseline vs paraffin

English

Etymology

A marketing coinage by Robert A. Chesebrough around 1870, reputedly from German Wasser (“water”) + Ancient Greek ?????? (élaion, “oil”).

Noun

vaseline (countable and uncountable, plural vaselines)

1. Petroleum jelly.
   • 1930, Aldous Huxley, Brief Candles:

     Hearts of putty, hearts of vaseline...

2. Any particular kind of petroleum jelly or of any similar lubricant.
   • 1882, Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry:

     A Russian vaseline has been lately added to the many kinds of vaseline found in […]

3. A greenish-yellow coloured glass, or the colouring used in the manufacture of this glass.

Synonyms

• E905b when used as a food additive

Descendants

Translations

Verb

vaseline (third-person singular simple present vaselines, present participle vaselining, simple past and past participle vaselined)

1. To lubricate with vaseline.

   Even at this late date, vaselining will preserve the best of these leathers.

Translations

Anagrams

• leave-ins

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English. Genericized trademark.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaz.lin/

Noun

vaseline f (uncountable)

1. vaseline

Descendants

• ? Turkish: vazelin

Further reading

• “vaseline” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Alternative forms

• paraffine

Etymology

Latin paraffinum, from parum (too little) + affinis (related, affinity). Therefore low affinity or being chemically neutral

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?pæ?.?.f?n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p??.?.f?n/

Noun

paraffin (countable and uncountable, plural paraffins)

1. (Britain) A petroleum-based thin and colorless fuel oil
   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, chapter 57

     She poured paraffin on the dry floors and on the pandanus-mats, and then she set fire.

   Synonym: kerosene

2. (chemistry) Any member of the alkane hydrocarbons.
3. Paraffin wax.

Derived terms

• chloroparaffin

Translations

Verb

paraffin (third-person singular simple present paraffins, present participle paraffining, simple past and past participle paraffined)

1. To impregnate or treat with paraffin.
2. To embed in paraffin wax.

Translations