paraffin

UK: /ˈpærəfɪn/ US: /ˈpærəfɪn/ ,(par′ə fin)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

par•af•fin /ˈpærəfɪn/   n. [uncountable]

1. Chemistry a colorless, tasteless, odorless, waxy substance, used esp. in candles.
2. Chemistry, British Terms Also called ˈpar•af•fin ˌoil. [Brit.] kerosene.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

par•af•fin  (par′ə fin), n. 

1. Chemistry a white or colorless, tasteless, odorless, water-insoluble, solid substance not easily acted upon by reagents, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons chiefly of the alkane series, obtained from crude petroleum: used in candles, for forming preservative coatings and seals, for waterproofing paper, etc.
2. Chemistry
   • any member of the alkane series.
   • one of the higher members of the alkane series, solid at ordinary temperatures, having a boiling point above 300°C, which largely constitutes the commercial form of this substance.
3. Chemistry, British Terms Also called par′affin oil′. [Brit.] kerosene.

v.t. 

4. Chemistry to cover or impregnate with paraffin.

• Latin par(um) barely + aff(īnis) connected + -in²; so called from its slight affinity for other substances; see affinity
• German
• 1830–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

paraffin / ˈpærəfɪn/, (less commonly)paraffine / ˈpærəˌfiːn/ noun

1. Also called: paraffin oil, (esp US and Canadian) kerosene a liquid mixture consisting mainly of alkane hydrocarbons with boiling points in the range 150°–300°C, used as an aircraft fuel, in domestic heaters, and as a solvent
2. another name for alkane
3. See paraffin wax
4. See liquid paraffin

verb (transitive)

1. to treat with paraffin or paraffin wax

Etymology: 19th Century: from German, from Latin parum too little + affinis adjacent; so called from its chemical inertia