petrodollar

pe·tro·dol·lar
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UK/ˈpɛtɹə(ʊ)ˌdɒlə/US/ˈpɛtɹoʊˌdɑlɚ/

noun

Money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil, often especially as considered among a national economy's principal revenue streams.

OriginEnglish dollar ← Dutch daler ← Middle Low German dāler →
RareScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounpetrodollar (plural petrodollars)

plural petrodollars

  1. alsoattributivein pluraloil industryMoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil, often especially as considered among a national economy's principal revenue streams.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπέτρᾱ (pétrā)
  2. Latinpetra
  3. Englishpetro-
  4. Proto-Germanic*dalą
  5. Proto-West Germanic*dal
  6. Old High Germantal
  7. Middle High Germantal
  8. GermanTal
  9. GermanTaler
  10. Middle Low Germandāler
  11. Dutchdaler
  12. Englishdollar
  13. Englishpetrodollar

From petro- (prefix meaning ‘petroleum; oil export’) + dollar, possibly modelled after Eurodollar.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch petrodollar
  • petrodollarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Finnish öljyraha
  • öljyrahamoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
French pétrodollar
  • pétrodollarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
German Petrodollar
  • Petrodollarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Greek πετροδολάριο
  • πετροδολάριο (petrodolário)money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Italian petrodollaro, petroldollaro
  • petrodollaromoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
  • petroldollaromoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Polish petrodolar
  • petrodolarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Portuguese petrodólar
  • petrodólarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Romanian petrodolar
  • petrodolarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Russian нефтедо́ллар
  • нефтедо́ллар (neftedóllar)money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Spanish petrodólar
  • petrodólarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Swedish oljedollar
  • oljedollarmoney (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Ukrainian нафтодо́лар
  • нафтодо́лар (naftodólar)money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Cite this entry
APA

petrodollar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petrodollar

MLA

“petrodollar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petrodollar. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “petrodollar,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/petrodollar.

Source: petrodollar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.