1565–75; < Latin < Greek náphthas, perhaps < Iranian *nafta, derivative of *nab- to be damp; compare Avestan napta- damp, Persian naft naphtha
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| naphtha (ˈnæfθə, ˈnæp-) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a distillation product from coal tar boiling in the approximate range 80--170°C and containing aromatic hydrocarbons |
| 2. | a distillation product from petroleum boiling in the approximate range 100--200°C and containing aliphatic hydrocarbons: used as a solvent and in petrol |
| 3. | an obsolete name for petroleum |
| [C16: via Latin from Greek, of Iranian origin; related to Persian neft naphtha] | |
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naphtha
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naphtha naph·tha (nāf'thə, nāp'-)
n.
Any of several highly volatile, flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons distilled from petroleum, coal tar, or natural gas and used as solvents and in making various chemicals.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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naphtha  (nāf'thə) Pronunciation Key
Any of several liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons made by refining petroleum or by breaking down coal tar. Naphtha is usually flammable, and is used as a solvent and as an ingredient in gasoline. It is also used to make plastics. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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naphtha
any of various volatile, highly flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents and as raw materials for conversion to gasoline. Naphtha was the name originally applied to the more volatile kinds of petroleum issuing from the ground in the Baku district of Azerbaijan and Iran. As early as the 1st century AD, naphtha was mentioned by the Greek writer Dioscorides and the Roman writer Pliny the Elder. Alchemists used the word principally to distinguish various mobile liquids of low boiling point, including certain ethers and esters.
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