Petrolatum and petroleum: what are these words’ meanings, and are they different? There is more to these words than their almost similar spellings. Let’s start with an overview of petrolatum vs. petroleum to tell you a little bit of what you should know about these words.
Petrolatum is the alternative name for petroleum jelly. It is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons made from petroleum and used in medicinal ointments and for lubrication. In contrast, petroleum is a dark oil mainly made up of hydrocarbons or a flammable liquid ranging from clear to dark colors.
The primary difference between these words is in how we use them. In Northern America, the term petrolatum refers to petroleum jelly. Keep it here to learn more about these words and their differences.
Definitions Of Petrolatum And Petroleum
You cannot differentiate words without understanding their meanings. Therefore, definitions help you envision what a word means or the product it refers to. So, let us start differentiating petrolatum and petroleum by looking at their definitions below.
What Is The Definition Of Petrolatum?
This word is the alternate name for petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is a semi-solid obsequious substance without taste or order made by distilling lighter portions of petroleum and purifying its residue. It is typically yellowish with a fatlike mass and transparent in thin layers.
Petroleum jelly acts as a bland protective jelly, a lubricant, or fatty material for making ointment. Let us look at a sentence example, “Applying petrolatum on your skin every morning and evening will alleviate signs of aging.”
What Is The Definition Of Petroleum?
Petroleum is a flammable liquid with ranging colors (from clear to dark brown or black.) It contains hydrocarbons and occurs naturally in deposits beneath the earth’s surface. An example sentence is, “The miners discovered petroleum deposits today in Northern California.”
Other sources describe petroleum as “a liquid mixture containing hydrocarbons found in the rock structure and can be extracted and refined to produce fuels like diesel & paraffin.” For example, in a sentence, “The factory workers used petroleum to produce 120 gallons of diesel oil.”
Another definition of petroleum is a flammable liquid occurring naturally under the earth’s surface, also known as crude oil or unrefined oil. It occurs naturally as a yellowish-black liquid, and manufacturers can refine it into various fuel types. Let’s look at an example in a sentence: “Petroleum is the primary raw material for various fuels, like diesel, kerosene, and petrol.”
How To Properly Use Petrolatum And Petroleum In A Sentences
The definitions for these words are quite straightforward. This is a big deal because many English words have multiple definitions. Now that you know the definitions of “petrolatum” and “petroleum,” let us look at how you can use these words in sentences. Here are some tips you should not forget:
How To Use The Word Petrolatum
Use this word when referring to petroleum jelly. It is also worth mentioning that this word is a noun. Therefore, when using it in a sentence, you should follow it up with a verb. But since it is a common noun, you do not need to capitalize its initial unless it is at the beginning of a sentence.
Let us look at an example in a sentence, “I use petrolatum jelly every morning to keep my skin moisturized and healthy.”
The plural form for petrolatum is “petrolatums.” Here is an example in a sentence, “Please buy me two types of petrolatums when you visit the store tomorrow.”
How To Use The Word Petroleum
Use this noun to refer to a flammable liquid containing many hydrocarbons found under the earth’s surface. For example, “Unrefined petroleum is not as flammable as the oil made from it when refined.”
You can also use this word to refer to types of fuel. Here is an example, “Do not waste money on different petroleum fuel plants if you do not have the expertise to guide you.”
The plural form for petroleum is “petroleums.” It is because the word is either countable or uncountable. Here is how you can use the plural form in sentences, “The earth’s strata contain various types of petroleums of varying colors and value.”
Word Comparison Posts
Petrolatum Vs. Petroleum: More Differences
The main difference between petrolatum and petroleum is that petrolatum refers to petroleum jelly, while petroleum is a flammable crude oil that occurs naturally beneath the earth’s surface.
It is worth mentioning that petroleum occurs naturally on the earth’s surface. In contrast, you need petroleum to produce petrolatum. Also, petroleum is a flammable liquid and can occur as a light-colored or dark-colored product. Practitioners in the medical, cosmetics, and agriculture sectors use petrolatum products every day. Petrolatum is typically transparent and non-flammable.
More so, petrolatum is great for applications like skin moisturizing and lubrication. In contrast, the primary role of petroleum is manufacturing various fuel types, like petrol, diesel, and kerosene. Also, petroleum is not safe for use in its unrefined nature. Therefore, oil producers apply various refining and filtering processes to derive oil from petroleum.
Another difference is that petrolatum is not as common a word as petroleum. Petrolatum is mostly common in Northern America. Many people in other places do not know that this word exists.
The correct pronunciation for petrolatum is “/pe-truh-ley-tuhm/” or”/pe-truh-lah-tuhm/.” This word’s origin dates back to the late 1880s and early 1990s. In contrast, the correct pronunciation for petroleum is “/puh-troh-lee-uhm/.” This word came about in the 1520s and 1530s. Its roots stem from the Medieval Latin word “petra,” meaning “rock oil.”
Lastly, “petroleum” has four syllables, “pe-tro-le-um.” The stressed syllable is ‘tro.” The word “petrolatum” also has four syllables, “pet-ro-la-tum.” Unlike “petroleum,” the stressed syllable in ‘petrolatum” is “la,” and the secondary stressed syllable is “pet.”
Examples Of Petrolatum And Petroleum In Sentences
Petroleum and petrolatum refer to products that everyone uses every day. Therefore, you have numerous opportunities and contexts to use these words in sentences. For this reason, you would benefit from learning how to use each word in sentences. The content in the above sections should help you do this perfectly. However, we also prepared the following examples as a guide for you:
Example sentences with the word petrolatum
- The doctor will use petrolatum as a moisturizing cleanser before the procedure.
- Petrolatum is a fantastic example of a topical agent that you should not apply over inflamed skin.
- Petrolatum is one of the top ingredients for manufacturing albolene, a medical moisturizing cleanser.
- The petrolatum Anne bought at the store on 8th avenue includes transformer and base oils.
- Petrolatum is not fat, as most students assume.
Example sentences with the word petroleum
- Petroleum is our country’s main export, bringing in billions annually.
- The war in Ukraine has affected the world’s supply of petroleum, leading to high oil prices globally.
- You cannot enter the oil manufacturing sector if you know nothing about petroleum.
- I am working on a formula that will help refine petroleum into an eco-friendly oil by merging it with vegetable oil.
- I do not understand how petroleum is not eco-friendly, yet it comes directly from the earth’s strata.
Conclusion
You can tell that the words “petrolatum” and “petroleum” are similar words from their close pronunciation and spelling. Some people argue that they refer to the same thing. However, their difference is quite clear. Petroleum is unrefined oil mined from underneath the earth’s surface, while petrolatum is the alternative name for petroleum jelly.
As you can tell from the term “petroleum jelly,” petrolatum is one of the products made from petroleum. It is as simple as that! We hope that we have highlighted all the differences between the two confusing words to make it easier for you to apply them.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.