noun
a white to brown oil obtained from whale blubber; formerly used as an illuminant
• Syn: ↑train oil
• Hypernyms: ↑animal oil
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noun : a water-white to brown oil obtained from the blubber of whales and used in tempering steel, in dressing leather, after hydrogenation in making margarine and soap, as a lubricant, and formerly as an illuminant — called also train oil
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oil rendered from whale blubber, formerly widely used as a fuel for lamps and for making soap and candles.
[1400-50; late ME]
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whale oil noun
Oil obtained from the blubber of a whale
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Main Entry: ↑whale
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whale oil,
oil obtained from the blubber of whales.
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n. oil obtained from the blubber of a whale, formerly used in oil lamps and for making soap
Useful english dictionary. 2012.