Meanings
nounpetrochemical (plural petrochemicals)
plural petrochemicals
- chemistryAny chemical derived from any of the fossil fuels: petroleum, natural gas, or coal.
As the prices of petroleum, natural gas, and coal fluctuate over the years, the petrochemical industry can to some extent switch feedstocks.
adjectivepetrochemical (not comparable)
- not comparableOf or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them.
In 2006, about 6 percent of the world's crude oil production was used in non-energy applications, primarily as a petrochemical feedstock.
2009, M.S.Vassiliou, Historical Dictionary of the Petroleum Industry, page 5
Origin
- Ancient Greekπέτρᾱ (pétrā)
- Latinpetra
- Englishpetro-
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰew-
- Ancient Greekχῠ́μᾰ (khŭ́mă)
- Ancient Greekχυμείᾱ (khumeíā)
- Arabicالْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ)
- Medieval Latinalchēmia
- Ancient Greekχυμείᾱ (khumeíā)influ.
- New Latinchēmia
- New Latinchēmicus
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Englishchemical
- Englishpetrochemical
Translations
Catalan petroquímic
- petroquímicof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Dutch petrochemisch
- petrochemischof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Esperanto petrolĥemia, petrolkemia
- petrolĥemiaof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
- petrolkemiaof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Finnish petrokemikaali, petrokemiallinen
- petrokemikaaliany compound derived from petroleum or natural gas
- petrokemiallinenof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
French pétrochimique
- pétrochimiqueof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
German gesteinschemisch
- gesteinschemischof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Irish peitriceimiceán, peitriceimiceach
- peitriceimiceánany compound derived from petroleum or natural gas
- peitriceimiceachof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Italian petrolchimico
- petrolchimicoof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Japanese 石油化学の
- 石油化学の (sekiyu-kagaku no)of or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Korean 석유 화학의
- 석유 화학의 (seogyu hwahagui)of or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Māori matūkōhinu, matūngahinu
- matūkōhinuany compound derived from petroleum or natural gas
- matūngahinuany compound derived from petroleum or natural gas
Norwegian Bokmål petrokjemisk
- petrokjemiskof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Polish petrochemiczny
- petrochemicznyof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Portuguese petroquímico
- petroquímicoof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Romanian petrochimic, petrochimică
- petrochimicof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
- petrochimicăof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Russian нефтехими́ческий
- нефтехими́ческий (nefteximíčeskij)of or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Spanish petroquímico
- petroquímicoof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Swahili petrokemikali
- petrokemikaliany compound derived from petroleum or natural gas
Swedish petrokemikalie, petrokemisk
- petrokemikalieany compound derived from petroleum or natural gas
- petrokemiskof or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
petrochemical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petrochemical
MLA
“petrochemical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petrochemical. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “petrochemical,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petrochemical.
Source: petrochemical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.