Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vaseline

/ˈvæ.sə.lin/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.78 in modern English

Syllables: vase-line
IPA: /ˈvæ.sə.lin/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Alternative letter-case form of vaseline.

noun

Petroleum jelly.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any particular kind of petroleum jelly or of any similar lubricant.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Ellipsis of Vaseline glass, or the coloring used in making it.

Countable; Informal; Uncountable

verb

To lubricate with vaseline.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Hearts of putty, hearts of vaseline..."
"A Russian vaseline has been lately added to the many kinds of vaseline found in […]"
"Even at this late date, vaselining will preserve the best of these leathers."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old High German waȥȥar Middle High German waȥȥer German Wasser Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion) Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ine English vaseline From German Wasser (“water”) + Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “oil”) + -ine. Genericized trademark of the Vaseline brand of petroleum jelly introduced by American chemist Robert Augustus Chesebrough in 1872.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈvæ.sə.lin/
British English: /ˈvæ.sə.liːn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

vaselines (plural) vaselines (present, singular) vaselining (participle, present) vaselined (participle, past) vaselined (past)

Phrases

Vaseline glass

Synonyms

E905b

Rhymes With

gasoline

Questions

How do you pronounce vaseline?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvæ.sə.lin/.
What does vaseline mean?: Alternative letter-case form of vaseline.
Where does vaseline come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old High German waȥȥar Middle High German waȥȥer German Wasser Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion) Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ine English vaseline From German Wasser (“water”) + Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “oil”) + -ine. Genericized trademark of the Vaseline brand of petroleum jelly introduced by American chemist Robert Augustus Chesebrough in 1872.

How to pronounce vaseline

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “vaseline”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈvæ.sə.lin/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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