oil
oil [oil oils oiled oiling] noun, verb [ɔɪl] [ɔɪl]
noun
1. uncountable a thick liquid that is found in rock underground
Syn: petroleum
• drilling for oil
2. uncountable a form of petroleum that is used as fuel and to make parts of machines move smoothly
• engine oil
• an oil lamp/heater
• Put some oil in the car.
3. uncountable, countable a smooth thick liquid that is made from plants or animals and is used in cooking
• olive oil
• vegetable oils
4. uncountable, countable a smooth thick liquid that is made from plants, minerals, etc. and is used on the skin or hair
• lavender bath oil
• suntan oil
see also essential oil
5. uncountable (also oils plural) coloured paint containing oil used by artists
• a painting done in oils
• landscapes in oil
see also oil paint
6. countable = oil painting
• Among the more important Turner oils was ‘Venus and Adonis’.
see also oily, castor oil, cod liver oil, linseed oil, see burn the midnight oil at burn v., pour oil on troubled water at pour
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old Northern French olie, Old French oile, from Latin oleum ‘(olive) oil’; compare with olea ‘olive’.
Thesaurus:
oil noun U
• Several companies are drilling for oil in the region.
petroleum • • diesel • • fuel • • fossil fuel • |BrE petrol • |AmE gas • • gasoline •
sth runs on oil/diesel/fuel/petrol/gas/gasoline
the oil/petroleum/fuel industry
oil/petroleum/fuel/fossil fuel reserves
a/an oil/fuel/petrol/gas/gasoline tanker
Collocations:
Fine arts
Creating art
make a work of art/a drawing/a sketch/a sculpture/a statue/engravings/etchings/prints
do an oil painting/a self-portrait/a line drawing/a rough sketch
create a work of art/an artwork/paintings and sculptures
produce paintings/portraits/oil sketches/his most celebrated work/a series of prints
paint a picture/landscape/portrait/mural/in oils/in watercolours/(especially US) in watercolors/on canvas
draw a picture/a portrait/a cartoon/a sketch/a line/a figure/the human form/in charcoal/in ink
sketch a preliminary drawing/a figure/a shape
carve a figure/an image/a sculpture/an altarpiece/reliefs/a block of wood
sculpt a portrait bust/a statue/an abstract figure
etch a line/a pattern/a design/a name into the glass
mix colours/(especially US) colors/pigments/paints
add/apply thin/thick layers of paint/colour/(especially US) color/pigment
use oil pastels/charcoal/acrylic paint/a can of spray paint
work in bronze/ceramics/stone/oils/pastels/watercolour/a wide variety of media
Describing art
paint/depict a female figure/a biblical scene/a pastoral landscape/a domestic interior
depict/illustrate a traditional/mythological/historical/religious theme
create an abstract composition/a richly textured surface/a distorted perspective
paint dark/rich/skin/flesh tones
use broad brush strokes/loose brushwork/vibrant colours/a limited palette/simple geometric forms
develop/adopt/paint in a stylized manner/an abstract style
Showing and selling art
commission an altarpiece/a bronze bust of sb/a portrait/a religious work/an artist to paint sth
frame a painting/portrait
hang art/a picture/a painting
display/exhibit modern art/sb's work/a collection/original artwork/ drawings/sculptures/a piece
be displayed/hung in a gallery/museum
install/place a sculpture in/at/on sth
erect/unveil a bronze/marble/life-size statue
hold/host/mount/open/curate/see (especially BrE) an exhibition/(NAmE usually) exhibit
be/go on (BrE) exhibition/(NAmE) exhibit
feature/promote/showcase a conceptual artist/contemporary works
collect African art/modern British paintings/Japanese prints
restore/preserve a fresco/great works of art
Example Bank:
• ‘Four Women on a Bench’, oil on canvas, 1991
• A daily dose of omega-3 fish oil will help children to concentrate better.
• Fry the potato in a little sunflower oil.
• She rubbed a scented oil into her hair.
• The company is drilling for oil in the North Sea.
• The place smelled of oil.
• The sick were anointed with oil.
• Toast the bread, rub with garlic and drizzle over a little olive oil.
• Use a rag soaked in linseed oil.
• a bottle of extra virgin olive oil
• a rod coated with a film of oil
• a seven-mile-long oil slick off the Alaskan coast
• essential oils extracted from flowers
• oil of rosemary
• Acid rain from the burning oil wells could cause severe environmental damage.
• At the time, oil was trading at around $18 per barrel.
• Drizzle the salad with olive oil and top it with flakes of fresh Parmesan.
• Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.
• Several companies are drilling for oil in the region.
• The well produced oil at a rate of 2 000 barrels of oil a day.
• Vegetable oils are better for you than animal fats.
Idiom: oil the wheels
