English
vaseline
Vaseline comes from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον ‘olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil’, and goes back to Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon.
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*élaiwonreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔλαιονélaion‘olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil’
- Englishearliest quotation 1882vaseline
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*élaiwonreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔλαιονélaion‘olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil’
- Englishearliest quotation 1882vaseline
Earliest quotation: 1882, Journal of the Society of Chemical Indus: “A Russian vaseline has been lately added to the…”
Formed from Wasser ‘water’ + ἔλαιον ‘oil’ + -ine
The story
Genericized trademark of the Vaseline brand of petroleum jelly introduced by American chemist Robert Augustus Chesebrough in 1872.
Linked words
through Ancient Greek ἔλαιον ‘olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil’
Today it means
noun Petroleum jelly.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon / vaseline