naphtha

noun

naph·​tha ˈnaf-thə 

nonstandard

ˈnap- 

1

: any of various volatile often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents

2

: petroleum

Examples of naphtha in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And thanks to the refinery, Nigeria has become a net exporter of jet fuel, naphtha (a solvent used in varnishes, laundry soaps, cleaning fluids) and fuel oil, according to S&P Global. —John Hyatt, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2025

While products like linseed oil or turpentine could help achieve this, Berrie suggests that mineral oil, or naphtha, was a game-changer thanks to its effectiveness in thinning paint and quickness to evaporate. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 11 Dec. 2024

Showing illustrative, colorful scenes of Neanderthals fashioning tools with sticky tar, bitumen mortar in Mesopotamian structures, Chinese naphtha stoves, and eventually the US automotive industry, the work reveals the ways oil has permeated human production across cultures. —Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 2 Aug. 2024

The 74,000 deadweight-tons capacity panamax tanker Hafnia Nile was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG. —Reuters, NBC News, 19 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek, of Iranian origin; akin to Persian neft naphtha

First Known Use

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

naphtha

noun

naph·​tha ˈnaf-thə  ˈnap- 

: any of various often flammable liquids prepared from coal or petroleum and used especially to dissolve substances

Medical Definition

naphtha

noun

naph·​tha ˈnaf-thə  ˈnap- 

: any of various volatile often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used chiefly as solvents and diluents