Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. A pale yellow semisolid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum; used in lubricants and ointments.
WordNet
n. a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum; used in medicinal ointments and for lubrication [syn: petrolatum, mineral jelly]
Wikipedia
Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum, soft paraffin/ Paraffin wax or multi-hydrocarbon, CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons (with carbon numbers mainly higher than 25), originally promoted as a topical ointment for its healing properties.
After petroleum jelly became a medicine chest staple, consumers began to use it for a myriad of ailments as well as cosmetic purposes, including toenail fungus, genital rashes (non- STD), nosebleeds, diaper rash, and chest colds. Its folkloric medicinal value as a "cure-all" has since been limited by better scientific understanding of appropriate and inappropriate uses. It is recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an approved over-the-counter (OTC) skin protectant, and remains widely used in cosmetic skin care.
Usage examples of "petroleum jelly".
Another method recommended by some is to put a little petroleum jelly on the body of the tick.
H_rd easily wrenched open the lock there, and liberated a tube of repair smartplastic and another of petroleum jelly.
One of the men paused to smear petroleum jelly on his bayonet to hold back the rain.
Fire coughed uncertainly from the mouths of the flamethrowers, spattering the hall along the floors, walls, and ceiling, where it clung in globs of what had to be a mix of gasoline or some other accelerant, and petroleum jelly—.
He got out of bed and rummaged through one of the milk crates, coming up with a jar of petroleum jelly.
Alone in a room with nothing but a desk, nay bag of clothes, and a jar of petroleum jelly.
Then Tarantella went to the bedside table and took a tube of petroleum jelly out of a drawer.
They came away coated with a slick, whitish substance that had the consistency of petroleum jelly.
Then he trampled over the litter, and his weight forced the pale petroleum jelly from the tubes and jars and smeared the whole mess over his shoe soles.
You smear petroleum jelly all over your hands, so the paint won't stick to them.
In spite of the transparent film of petroleum jelly that protected the exposed portions of his face from frostbite, he was pale and drawn.
Congressman David Lane Dilbeck glistened with excitement, and a light application of petroleum jelly.
Fire coughed uncertainly from the mouths of the flamethrowers, spattering the hall along the floors, walls, and ceiling, where it clung in globs of what had to be a mix of gasoline or some other accelerant, and petroleum jelly-homemade napalm.