# vaseline

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈvæ.sə.liːn/ · frequency rank #38,230

## Definitions
1. Petroleum jelly.
2. Any particular kind of petroleum jelly or of any similar lubricant.
3. Ellipsis of Vaseline glass, or the coloring used in making it.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *wed-
Proto-Indo-European *-r̥
Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥
Proto-Germanic *watōr
Proto-West Germanic *watar
Old High German waȥȥar
Middle High German wazzer
German Wasser
Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon
Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion)
English -ine
English vaseline
From German Wasser (“water”) + Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “oil”) + -ine. Genericized trademark of the Vaseline brand of petroleum jelly introduced by American chemist Q358079 in 1872.

## Common misspellings (11)
`avseline`, `vaesline`, `vaseilne`, `vaselien`, `vaselinne`, `vaselline`, `vaselnie`, `vasleine`, `vasseline`, `vsaeline`, `vvaseline`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/vaseline