Headers

I have independent confirmation, from my friends in Spain, that the proper name for the substance is "gasolina". How you folks ever morphed that into "petrol" completely escapes me, but when I am in England, I go along with the local customs.

Earle

Petra (rock) + Oleum (oil)

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

electric........

Dunno, Earle sort of asked, so I answered :-)

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

"Petrol" could be anything derived from oil and rocks. If one didn't know better, it could be diesel, asphalt, or petrolatum. "Gasoline" is a unique name, that dates to 1865, used to describe the volatile component, most suitable for the earliest internal combustion engines. I wonder why it didn't catch on more than it did. Note that the Germans call it "Benzin", and the French, "essence". Considering how dependent our society is on the stuff, I like the French name best. Btw, as far as I can determine, "petroleo" is reserved for the raw material, in all Spanish countries and dialects. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Earle

"Petroleum" is the base from which petrol,diesel etc are made. The French essence is short for "essence de petrole(um)". So, we Brits made a new name "petrol" shortened from petroleum, the French dropped the petrole(um) bit, and the Spanish, I guess, made up an entirely new and seemingly unrelated word.

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ