petrol
Definitions
Refined petroleum used as fuel in motor vehicles; the British term for what Americans call gasoline (or "gas").
汽油（提炼自石油、用作机动车燃料；英式英语用词，美式英语称 gasoline 或 gas）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedA shortening of petroleum: petr (rock) + ol (from oleum, oil). Petrol is petroleum refined down into a light, volatile fuel — literally the "rock oil" purified for engines.
Root petr still carries 6 more wordsUsage Guide
British vs American: petrol (BrE) = gasoline / gas (AmE). A petrol station (BrE) is a gas station (AmE). Petrol is uncountable: say "some petrol" or "a litre of petrol," not "a petrol."
Example Sentences
- 1.
Petrol prices have gone up sharply over the past month.
- 2.
We stopped at a petrol station to fill up the tank.
- 3.
The car had almost run out of petrol on the motorway.
Easily Confused
petrol vs gasoline — Same substance, different dialect: petrol is British, gasoline (or gas) is American. "Gas" in AmE means fuel; in BrE "gas" usually means a gaseous state or natural gas, so a Brit saying "I need gas" sounds odd.