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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Any of several highly volatile, flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons distilled from petroleum, coal tar, and natural gas and used as fuel, as solvents, and in making various chemicals.
  2. n. Obsolete Petroleum.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In ancient writers, a more fluid and volatile variety of asphalt or bitumen. Pliny hesitates about including naphtha with bitumen, on account of its volatility and inflammability.
  2. n. In modern use, an artificial volatile colorless liquid obtained from petroleum. It is a general term applied to the products of the distillation of crude petroleum between gasolene and refined oil. Ordinary petroleum now yields from 6 to 12 per cent, of this material, the specific gravity of which is from 76° to 60° (Beaumé). Naphtha as a solvent has largely taken the place of turpentine, camphene, benzol, and other similar products in industrial art, being often superior, and always much less expensive. In this way it is used in the manufacture of rubber goods, paints and varnishes, floor- and table-cloths; also by dyers and clothing- and glove-cleaners. In its many applications for light, and heat it is very largely taking the place both of coal and crude oil for the manufacture of illuminating gas and for street-lighting by naphthalamps, as well as for cooking by vapor-stoves in the use of the grade called stove-gasolene.

Wiktionary

  1. n. dated Naturally-occurring liquid petroleum.
  2. n. Any of a wide variety of aliphatic or aromatic liquid hydrocarbon mixtures distilled from petroleum or coal tar, especially as used in solvents or petrol.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Chem.) The complex mixture of volatile, liquid, inflammable hydrocarbons, occurring naturally, and usually called crude petroleum, mineral oil, or rock oil. That portion of the distillate obtained in the refinement of petroleum which is intermediate between the lighter gasoline and the heavier benzine, and has a specific gravity of about 0.7, -- used as a solvent for varnishes, as a carburetant, illuminant, etc.
  2. n. (Chem.) One of several volatile inflammable liquids obtained by the distillation of certain carbonaceous materials and resembling the naphtha from petroleum

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. any of various volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures; used chiefly as solvents

Etymologies

  1. From Latin naphtha, from Ancient Greek νάφθα (náphtha), ultimately from Old Persian 𐎴𐎳𐎫 (naft). The Greek mediation is reflected in the spelling – ‘ph’ and ‘th’ (from ‘φ’ and ‘θ’). (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin, from Greek, liquid bitumen, of Semitic origin; see npṭ in Semitic roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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  • fbharjo Latin, from Greek, of Iranian origin; akin to Avestan napta moist, Persian neft naphtha; from Persian naft "naphtha". perhaps akin to Greek nephos cloud, mist. petroleum especially when occurring in any of its more volatile varieties.Here go the moist debates again! Aug 31, 2009

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‘naphtha’ has been looked up 2127 times, loved by 2 people, added to 16 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 15.