paraffin

See also: Paraffin

English

Alternative forms

• paraffine (dated)

Etymology

From Latin paraffinum, from parum (too little) + affinis (related, affinity). Therefore low affinity or being chemically neutral.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpæɹ.ə.fɪn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɹ.ə.fɪn/

Noun

paraffin (countable and uncountable, plural paraffins)

1. (UK, Ireland) A petroleum-based thin and colourless fuel oil.

   Synonym: kerosene

   • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 57”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:

     She poured paraffin on the dry floors and on the pandanus-mats, and then she set fire.

2. (petrochemistry, organic chemistry) Any member of the alkane hydrocarbons.
3. Paraffin wax.

Derived terms

• chloroparaffin
• liquid paraffin
• paraffin oil
• paraffin paper
• paraffin scale
• paraffin test
• soft paraffin

 

Translations

kerosene — see kerosene

alkane hydrocarbon

• Armenian: պարաֆին (hy) (parafin)
• Belarusian: парафі́н m (parafín)
• Bulgarian: парафи́н m (parafín)
• Dutch: paraffine (nl)
• Estonian: alkaan
• Finnish: alkaani (fi)
• French: paraffine (fr)
• Georgian: პარაფინი (ṗarapini)
• Greek: παραφίνη (el) f (parafíni)
• Hungarian: paraffin (hu)
• Italian: paraffina (it) f
• Japanese: パラフィン (parafin)
• Korean: 파라핀 (ko) (parapin)
• Polish: parafina (pl) f, alkan (pl) m
• Russian: парафи́н (ru) m (parafín)
• Spanish: parafina (es) f
• Swedish: paraffin (sv) n
• Tagalog: malapagkit, parapina
• Thai: พาราฟิน
• Ukrainian: парафі́н m (parafín)

paraffin wax — see paraffin wax

Verb

paraffin (third-person singular simple present paraffins, present participle paraffining, simple past and past participle paraffined)

1. To impregnate or treat with paraffin.
2. To embed in paraffin wax.

Translations

treat with paraffin

• Catalan: parafinar (ca)
• Finnish: parafinoida
• French: paraffiner (fr)
• German: paraffinieren
• Italian: paraffinare
• Polish: parafinować
• Romanian: parafina (ro)

Swedish

paraffin

Noun

paraffin n

1. paraffin wax, paraffin

   ost överdragen med paraffin

   cheese coated with paraffin wax

Declension

Declension of paraffin
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	paraffin	paraffinet	—	—
Genitive	paraffins	paraffinets	—	—

Related terms

• paraffinera

See also

• fotogen (“kerosene”)

References

• paraffin in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• paraffin in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• paraffin in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)