Standard Lemma guide

paraffin

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpæɹ.ə.fɪn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈpɛɹ.ə.fɪn/
  • CMU ARPABET: P EH1 R AH0 F AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A petroleum-based thin and colourless fuel oil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kerosene

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any member of the alkane hydrocarbons.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: chemistry, geography, geology, natural-sciences, organic-chemistry, petrochemistry, petrology, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Paraffin wax.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To impregnate or treat with paraffin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To embed in paraffin wax.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

(British usage) kerosine

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: paraffin oil

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: kerosene, kerosine, lamp oil, coal oil

7

noun

Meaning 7

a series of non-aromatic saturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH(2n+2)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: methane series, alkane series, alkane, paraffin series

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: aliphatic compound

Narrower terms: butane, amine, aminoalkane, ethane, C2H6, heptane, hexane, methane

8

noun

Meaning 8

from crude petroleum; used for candles and for preservative or waterproof coatings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: paraffin wax

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wax

History

Etymology

From Latin paraffinum, from parum (too little) + affinis (related, affinity). Therefore low affinity or being chemically neutral.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: պարաֆին (parafin) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Belarusian: парафі́н (parafín) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Bulgarian: парафи́н (parafín) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Catalan: parafina — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Dutch: paraffine — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Estonian: alkaan — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Finnish: alkaani — alkane hydrocarbon
  • French: paraffine — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Georgian: პარაფინი (ṗarapini) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Greek: παραφίνη (parafíni) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Hungarian: paraffin — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Italian: paraffina — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Japanese: パラフィン (parafin) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Korean: 파라핀 (parapin) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Polish: parafina — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Polish: alkan — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Russian: парафи́н (parafín) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Spanish: parafina — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Swedish: paraffin — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Tagalog: malapagkit — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Tagalog: parapina — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Thai: พาราฟิน — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Ukrainian: парафі́н (parafín) — alkane hydrocarbon
  • Catalan: parafinar — treat with paraffin
  • Finnish: parafinoida — treat with paraffin
  • French: paraffiner — treat with paraffin
  • German: paraffinieren — treat with paraffin
  • Italian: paraffinare — treat with paraffin
  • Polish: parafinować — treat with paraffin
  • Romanian: parafina — treat with paraffin