whale oil

noun

oil rendered from whale blubber, formerly widely used as a fuel for lamps and for making soap and candles.

whale oil

oil obtained either from the blubber of whales (train oil) or the head of the sperm whale (sperm oil)

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

By 1840, palm oil was cheap enough to completely replace tallow or whale oil in such products as soap and candles.

The business isn't what it was; in the old days whale-oil was worth a great deal and whaling was a good business.

They live on whale oil, blubber, fish and the meat of the musk ox, bear and other animals that inhabit the far North.

It was a long step from the smoky and ill-smelling whale-oil lamp to the clear and brilliant kerosene burner.

Then followed light produced from liquids: olive oil, whale oil, refined petroleum.

The most general remedy is to wash trees or plants with a strong decoction of some offensive herb, or with whale-oil soapsuds.

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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