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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Petrolatum

Petrolatum \Pet`ro*la"tum\, n. (Chem. & Pharm.) A semisolid unctuous substance, neutral, and without taste or odor, derived from petroleum by distilling off the lighter portions and purifying the residue. It is a yellowish, fatlike mass, transparent in thin layers, and somewhat fluorescent. It is used as a bland protective dressing, and as a substitute for fatty materials in ointments.
--U. S. Pharm.

Note: Petrolatum is the official name for the purified product. Cosmoline and vaseline are commercial names for substances essentially the same, but differing slightly in appearance and consistency or fusibility.

Wiktionary
petrolatum

n. petroleum jelly

WordNet
petrolatum

n. a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum; used in medicinal ointments and for lubrication [syn: petroleum jelly, mineral jelly]

Wikipedia
Petrolatum
  1. redirect Petroleum jelly

Usage examples of "petrolatum".

So Sarah told him about her pressing comb and the lighter oil she was developing, made with petrolatum, to help the comb make hair less kinky.

The composition of the tissue is far more complex than the composition of petrolatum, of course.