naphtha

noun

naph·​tha ˈnaf-thə How to pronounce naphtha (audio)
nonstandard
ˈnap- How to pronounce naphtha (audio)
1
: any of various volatile often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents
2

Examples of naphtha in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While products like linseed oil or turpentine could help achieve this, Berrie suggests that mineral oil, or naphtha, was a game-changer thanks to its effectiveness in thinning paint and quickness to evaporate. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 11 Dec. 2024 Showing illustrative, colorful scenes of Neanderthals fashioning tools with sticky tar, bitumen mortar in Mesopotamian structures, Chinese naphtha stoves, and eventually the US automotive industry, the work reveals the ways oil has permeated human production across cultures. Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 2 Aug. 2024 The 74,000 deadweight-tons capacity panamax tanker Hafnia Nile was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG. Reuters, NBC News, 19 July 2024 Carbon dioxide Water Instead, Infinium combines that CO2 with hydrogen in a series of steel tanks that heat the gases, cool them, change their pressure, and set off a chain of chemical reactions that turns them into a mixture of diesel and naphtha, which is used in making plastic. Emily Wright, Washington Post, 27 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for naphtha 

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek, of Iranian origin; akin to Persian neft naphtha

First Known Use

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of naphtha was in 1543

Dictionary Entries Near naphtha

Cite this Entry

“Naphtha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naphtha. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

naphtha

noun
naph·​tha ˈnaf-thə How to pronounce naphtha (audio) ˈnap- How to pronounce naphtha (audio)
: any of various often flammable liquids prepared from coal or petroleum and used especially to dissolve substances

Medical Definition

naphtha

noun
naph·​tha ˈnaf-thə How to pronounce naphtha (audio) ˈnap- How to pronounce naphtha (audio)
: any of various volatile often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents

More from Merriam-Webster on naphtha

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