oil

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See also: OIL, Oil, óil, òil, oïl, and -oil

English

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Alternative forms

Pronunciation

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Particularly: "Southern US"

Etymology 1

From Middle English oyle, oile (“olive oil”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman olie, from Latin oleum (“oil, olive oil”), from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”), from ἐλαία (elaía, “olive”). Compare Proto-Slavic *lojь. More at olive. Doublet of oleum. Supplanted Middle English ele (“oil”), from Old English ele (“oil”), also from Latin.

Noun

oil (countable and uncountable, plural oils)

  1. Liquid fat.
  3. Petroleum-based liquid used as fuel or lubricant.
  4. Petroleum.
    • 2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
      The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices). It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber.
  5. (countable) An oil painting.
    • 1973, John Ulric Nef, Search for meaning: the autobiography of a nonconformist, page 89:
      Yet, in another way, I was unable to put Picasso's oils in the same class as Cezanne's, or even (which will no doubt shock many readers) as Renoir's.
  6. (painting) Oil paint.
    I prefer to paint in oil
  7. (attributive) Containing oil, conveying oil; intended for or capable of containing oil.
    oil barrel; oil pipe
    • 1884, Trade News, “A one-wheel Nantucket vehicle”, in The Automotive Manufacturer‎, page 372:
      Such a vehicle is made by taking any old barrel (usually an oil barrel, but the one selected for our sketch was one that once contained Valentine’s varnish) and through each head of the barrel an inch hole is bored, and an iron bar is driven through, leaving the ends projecting about eight inches.
Derived terms
Terms derived from the noun oil
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Etymology 2

From Middle English oilen, oylen, from the noun (see above).

Verb

oil (third-person singular simple present oils, present participle oiling, simple past and past participle oiled)

  1. (transitive) To lubricate with oil.
    • 1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, chapter 23, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M. Hill Co., →OCLC:
      Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to a room of the Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and the Lion shook the dust out of his mane, and the Scarecrow patted himself into his best shape, and the Woodman polished his tin and oiled his joints.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      The face which emerged was not reassuring. […]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls.
  2. (transitive) To grease with oil for cooking.
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams

Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Irish ail, oil (“disgrace, reproach; act of reproaching; blemish, defect”).

Noun

oil f (genitive singular oile)

  1. (literary) disgrace, reproach; act of reproaching
  2. (literary) blemish, defect
Declension
Declension of oil

Second declension

Bare forms (no plural form of this noun)

Case Singular
Nominative oil
Vocative a oil
Genitive oile
Dative oil

Forms with the definite article

Case Singular
Nominative an oil
Genitive na hoile
Dative leis an oil

don oil

Etymology 2

From Old Irish ailid, oilid (“nourishes, rears, fosters”) (compare altram (“fosterage”), from a verbal noun of ailid).

Verb

oil (present analytic oileann, future analytic oilfidh, verbal noun oiliúint, past participle oilte)

  1. (transitive) nourish, rear, foster
    Proverb: Gach dalta mar a oiltear. ― Every fosterling as it is reared.
  2. (transitive) train, educate
    lámh oilte ― practised hand
Conjugation
conjugation of oil (first conjugation – A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present oilim oileann tú;
oilir† 		oileann sé, sí oilimid oileann sibh oileann siad;
oilid† 		a oileann; a oileas /
a n-oileann*; a n-oileas* 		oiltear
past d'oil mé; d'oileas /
oil mé‡; oileas‡ 		d'oil tú; d'oilis /
oil tú; oilis‡ 		d'oil sé, sí /
oil sé, sí‡ 		d'oileamar; d'oil muid /
oileamar; oil muid‡ 		d'oil sibh; d'oileabhair /
oil sibh;
oileabhair‡ 		d'oil siad; d'oileadar /
oil siad; oileadar‡ 		a d'oil /
ar oil* 		oileadh;
hoileadh†
past habitual d'oilinn /
oilinn‡; n-oilinn‡‡ 		d'oilteá /
oilteá‡; n-oilteᇇ 		d'oileadh sé, sí /
oileadh sé, sí‡; n-oileadh sé, s퇇 		d'oilimis; d'oileadh muid /
oilimis; oileadh muid‡; n-oilimis‡‡; n-oileadh muid‡‡ 		d'oileadh sibh /
oileadh sibh‡; n-oileadh sibh‡‡ 		d'oilidís; d'oileadh siad /
oilidís; oileadh siad‡; n-oilidís‡‡; n-oileadh siad‡‡ 		a d'oileadh /
a n-oileadh* 		d'oiltí /
oiltí‡; n-oilt퇇
future oilfidh mé;
oilfead 		oilfidh tú;
oilfir† 		oilfidh sé, sí oilfimid;
oilfidh muid 		oilfidh sibh oilfidh siad;
oilfid† 		a oilfidh; a oilfeas /
a n-oilfidh*; a n-oilfeas* 		oilfear
conditional d'oilfinn / oilfinn‡; n-oilfinn‡‡ d'oilfeá / oilfeá‡; n-oilfeᇇ d'oilfeadh sé, sí / oilfeadh sé, sí‡; n-oilfeadh sé, s퇇 d'oilfimis; d'oilfeadh muid / oilfimis‡; oilfeadh muid‡; n-oilfimis‡‡; n-oilfeadh muid‡‡ d'oilfeadh sibh / oilfeadh sibh‡; n-oilfeadh sibh‡‡ d'oilfidís; d'oilfeadh siad / oilfidís‡; oilfeadh siad‡; n-oilfidís‡‡; n-oilfeadh siad‡‡ a d'oilfeadh /
a n-oilfeadh* 		d'oilfí / oilfí‡; n-oilf퇇
subjunctive present go n-oile mé;
go n-oilead† 		go n-oile tú;
go n-oilir† 		go n-oile sé, sí go n-oilimid;
go n-oile muid 		go n-oile sibh go n-oile siad;
go n-oilid† 		— go n-oiltear
past dá n-oilinn dá n-oilteá dá n-oileadh sé, sí dá n-oilimis;
dá n-oileadh muid 		dá n-oileadh sibh dá n-oilidís;
dá n-oileadh siad 		— dá n-oiltí
imperative oilim oil oileadh sé, sí oilimis oiligí;
oilidh† 		oilidís — oiltear
verbal noun oiliúint
past participle oilte

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡ dependent form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis (except an)

Etymology 3

Noun

oil f (genitive singular oileach, nominative plural oileacha)

  1. Alternative form of ail (“stone, rock”)
Declension
Declension of oil

Fifth declension

Bare forms

Case Singular Plural
Nominative oil oileacha
Vocative a oil a oileacha
Genitive oileach oileacha
Dative oil oileacha

Forms with the definite article

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an oil na hoileacha
Genitive na hoileach na n-oileacha
Dative leis an oil

don oil

leis na hoileacha

Etymology 4

Verb

oil (present analytic oileann, future analytic oilfidh, verbal noun oiliúint, past participle oilte)

  1. (intransitive) Alternative form of oir (“suit, fit, become”)
Conjugation
conjugation of oil (first conjugation – A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present oilim oileann tú;
oilir† 		oileann sé, sí oilimid oileann sibh oileann siad;
oilid† 		a oileann; a oileas /
a n-oileann*; a n-oileas* 		oiltear
past d'oil mé; d'oileas /
oil mé‡; oileas‡ 		d'oil tú; d'oilis /
oil tú; oilis‡ 		d'oil sé, sí /
oil sé, sí‡ 		d'oileamar; d'oil muid /
oileamar; oil muid‡ 		d'oil sibh; d'oileabhair /
oil sibh;
oileabhair‡ 		d'oil siad; d'oileadar /
oil siad; oileadar‡ 		a d'oil /
ar oil* 		oileadh;
hoileadh†
past habitual d'oilinn /
oilinn‡; n-oilinn‡‡ 		d'oilteá /
oilteá‡; n-oilteᇇ 		d'oileadh sé, sí /
oileadh sé, sí‡; n-oileadh sé, s퇇 		d'oilimis; d'oileadh muid /
oilimis; oileadh muid‡; n-oilimis‡‡; n-oileadh muid‡‡ 		d'oileadh sibh /
oileadh sibh‡; n-oileadh sibh‡‡ 		d'oilidís; d'oileadh siad /
oilidís; oileadh siad‡; n-oilidís‡‡; n-oileadh siad‡‡ 		a d'oileadh /
a n-oileadh* 		d'oiltí /
oiltí‡; n-oilt퇇
future oilfidh mé;
oilfead 		oilfidh tú;
oilfir† 		oilfidh sé, sí oilfimid;
oilfidh muid 		oilfidh sibh oilfidh siad;
oilfid† 		a oilfidh; a oilfeas /
a n-oilfidh*; a n-oilfeas* 		oilfear
conditional d'oilfinn / oilfinn‡; n-oilfinn‡‡ d'oilfeá / oilfeá‡; n-oilfeᇇ d'oilfeadh sé, sí / oilfeadh sé, sí‡; n-oilfeadh sé, s퇇 d'oilfimis; d'oilfeadh muid / oilfimis‡; oilfeadh muid‡; n-oilfimis‡‡; n-oilfeadh muid‡‡ d'oilfeadh sibh / oilfeadh sibh‡; n-oilfeadh sibh‡‡ d'oilfidís; d'oilfeadh siad / oilfidís‡; oilfeadh siad‡; n-oilfidís‡‡; n-oilfeadh siad‡‡ a d'oilfeadh /
a n-oilfeadh* 		d'oilfí / oilfí‡; n-oilf퇇
subjunctive present go n-oile mé;
go n-oilead† 		go n-oile tú;
go n-oilir† 		go n-oile sé, sí go n-oilimid;
go n-oile muid 		go n-oile sibh go n-oile siad;
go n-oilid† 		— go n-oiltear
past dá n-oilinn dá n-oilteá dá n-oileadh sé, sí dá n-oilimis;
dá n-oileadh muid 		dá n-oileadh sibh dá n-oilidís;
dá n-oileadh siad 		— dá n-oiltí
imperative oilim oil oileadh sé, sí oilimis oiligí;
oilidh† 		oilidís — oiltear
verbal noun oiliúint
past participle oilte

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡ dependent form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis (except an)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
oil n-oil hoil not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

Middle English

Noun

oil

  1. Alternative form of oyle

Old French

Etymology 1

From o +‎ il, possibly from:

In any case, an elliptical phrase of response, by semantic erosion/grammaticalization possibly calqued on Gaulish: compare Portuguese and Spanish isso and eso (“yes, yeah”, literally “this”), Celtic languages such as Old Irish tó (“yes”), Welsh do (“indeed”), from *tod (“this, that”).

Compare with Old French o, ou, oc, ec, euc, uoc, Old Occitan oc (Occitan òc), all from the simple Latin hoc.

Alternative forms

  • oïl (almost always used by scholars to disambiguate with other meanings)

Pronunciation

Adverb

oil

  1. yes

Interjection

oil

  1. yes

Descendants

  • French: oui, voui; ouais
    • → English: oui
    • Maori: Wīwī (“France”)
  • Norman: oui (Guernsey)

References

  1. ^ Languages Within Language, by Ivan Fonagy, page 66
  2. ^ “oui”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
  3. ^ Trésor de la Langue Française informatisé at atilf.fr; select “OÏL”
  4. ^ Peter Schrijver, Studies in the History of Celtic Pronouns and Particles, Maynooth, 1997, 15.

Etymology 2

See ueil.

Pronunciation

Noun

oil oblique singular, m (oblique plural ouz or oilz, nominative singular ouz or oilz, nominative plural oil)

  1. Alternative form of ueil
    • 1260–1267, Brunetto Latini, “De tous Faucons [On all falcons]” (chapter 150), Book 5, in Livres dou Tresor [Book of Treasures]; republished as Polycarpe Chabaille, compiler, Li livres dou tresor par Brunetto Latini‎, Paris: Imprimerie impériale, 1863, page 203:
      La sisisme ligne est sourpoins. Cist est molt grans, et resemble aigle blanche, mais des oilz et des eles et dou bec est il semblables au girfaut
      The sixth kind is the saker. It is very large, and resembles the white eagle; but in the eyes, and in the wings, and in the beak, it is similar to the gyrfalcon

Simeulue

Noun

oil

  1. water
  2. sap

References

  • Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia