gasoline
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a liquid made from oil that is used as fuel for cars and trucks.
n.a refined petroleum product used as a fuel for internal combustion engines. Uncountable in its general sense.
Simple“We need to stop at the next station because the car is almost out of gasoline.”
In context“The sudden spike in gasoline prices forced many logistics companies to reconsider their long-distance shipping routes for the coming quarter.”
UsageCommonly shortened to 'gas' in everyday American speech.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a slang term for very strong or high-quality marijuana.
n.a slang term referring to potent or high-grade cannabis, often characterized by a pungent, fuel-like aroma.
Simple“He claimed he had some gasoline, but it wasn't actually that strong.”
In context“In certain urban subcultures, the term gasoline is frequently used to denote the highest tier of product available on the market.”
Teacher's tipThis is highly informal and specific to drug culture; learners should avoid using it in general conversation.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
adj.describes something that uses gasoline to work.
adj.relating to or powered by gasoline; typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun.
Simple“The city is replacing its gasoline buses with new electric ones.”
In context“The transition from gasoline engines to hybrid systems represents a significant shift in automotive engineering priorities.”
From gas + -ol (suffix used in the names of oils) + -ine (suffix used in the names of derivatives). So called because it was originally used in the manufacture and enrichment of domestic gases, such as air gas. Some sources suggest that the name originated from the brand name Cazeline, a petroleum-derived lighting oil, from the surname of the man who first marketed it in 1862, John Cassell, and the suffix –eline, from Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “oil, olive oil”), from ἐλαία (elaía, “olive”). Gasolene is found from 1863, and gasoline from 1864.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.