Meanings
nounoleomargarine (countable and uncountable, plural oleomargarines)
plural oleomargarines
- countabledateduncountableA fatty substance obtained by solidifying purified beef fat, used to make the butter substitute margarine; also, (US) the butter substitute produced in this way, margarine.First known use 19th c.
She [...] found that she had no butter, only oleomargarine.
1973, Toni Morrison, Sula, Chatto & Windus (1993), page 153
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frencholéomargarine
- Englisholeomargarine
From French oléomargarine, from oléo- (“oleo-”) + margarine (“margarin”).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
oleomargarine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oleomargarine
MLA
“oleomargarine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oleomargarine. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oleomargarine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oleomargarine.
Source: oleomargarine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.