Adjacent Words

Fuel definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FU'EL, n. [L. focus.]
1. Any matter which serves as aliment to fire; that which feeds fire; combustible matter, as wood, coal, peat, etc.
2. Any thing that serves to feed or increase flame, heat or excitement.
FU'EL, v.t.
1. To feed with combustible matter.
Never, alas! the dreadful name, that fuels the infernal flame.
2. To store with fuel or firing.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a substance that can be consumed to produce energy; "more fuel is needed during the winter months"; "they developed alternative fuels for aircraft" v
1: provide with a combustible substance that provides energy; "fuel aircraft, ships, and cars"
2: provide with fuel; "Oil fires the furnace" [syn: fuel, fire]
3: take in fuel, as of a ship; "The tanker fueled in Bahrain"
4: stimulate; "fuel the debate on creationism"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English fewel, from Anglo-French fuail, feuaile, from Vulgar Latin *focalia, from Latin focus hearth Date: 13th century 1. a. a material used to produce heat or power by burning b. nutritive material c. a material from which atomic energy can be liberated especially in a reactor 2. a source of sustenance or incentive ; reinforcement II. verb (-eled or -elled; -eling or -elling) Date: 1592 transitive verb 1. to provide with fuel 2. support, stimulate <movement is fueled by massive grants-in-aid — Allen Schick> intransitive verb to take in fuel — often used with up

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 material, esp. coal, wood, oil, etc., burnt or used as a source of heat or power. 2 food as a source of energy. 3 material used as a source of nuclear energy. 4 anything that sustains or inflames emotion or passion. --v. (fuelled, fuelling; US fueled, fueling) 1 tr. supply with fuel. 2 tr. sustain or inflame (an argument, feeling, etc.) (drink fuelled his anger). 3 intr. take in or get fuel. Phrases and idioms: fuel cell a cell producing an electric current direct from a chemical reaction. fuel element an element of nuclear fuel etc. for use in a reactor. fuel injection the direct introduction of fuel under pressure into the combustion units of an internal-combustion engine. fuel oil oil used as fuel in an engine or furnace. Etymology: ME f. AF fuaille, fewaile, OF fouaille, ult. f. L focus hearth

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fuel Fu"el, v. t. 1. To feed with fuel. [Obs.] Never, alas I the dreadful name, That fuels the infernal flame. --Cowley. 2. To store or furnish with fuel or firing. [Obs.] Well watered and well fueled. --Sir H. Wotton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fuel Fu"el, n. [OF. fouail, fuail, or fouaille, fuaille, LL. focalium, focale, fr. L. focus hearth, fireplace, in LL., fire. See Focus.] [Formerly written also fewel.] 1. Any matter used to produce heat by burning; that which feeds fire; combustible matter used for fires, as wood, coal, peat, etc. 2. Anything that serves to feed or increase passion or excitement. Artificial fuel, fuel consisting of small particles, as coal dust, sawdust, etc., consolidated into lumps or blocks.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(fuels, fuelling, fuelled) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. Note: in AM, use 'fueling', 'fueled' 1. Fuel is a substance such as coal, oil, or petrol that is burned to provide heat or power. They ran out of fuel. ...industrial research into cleaner fuels. N-MASS 2. To fuel a situation means to make it become worse or more intense. The result will inevitably fuel speculation about the Prime Minister's future... The economic boom was fueled by easy credit. = feed VERB: V n, be V-ed 3. If something adds fuel to a conflict or debate, or adds fuel to the fire, it makes the conflict or debate more intense. His comments are bound to add fuel to the debate... The decision to raise tariffs on imports will only add fuel to the fire. PHRASE: V inflects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Almost every kind of combustible matter was used for fuel, such as the withered stalks of herbs (Matt. 6:30), thorns (Ps. 58:9; Eccl. 7:6), animal excrements (Ezek. 4:12-15; 15:4, 6; 21:32). Wood or charcoal is much used still in all the towns of Syria and Egypt. It is largely brought from the region of Hebron to Jerusalem. (See COAL.)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fu'-el ('okhlah, or ma'akholeth, "food"): Is mentioned specifically only in the Old Testament, in Isa 9:5,19; Eze 15:4,6; 21:32. Its general, literal meaning in these connections is "food for fire," and might include any sort of combustible material. The common forms of fuel were wood of various sorts (even including thorns, Ps 58:9; 118:12; Ec 7:6), and dried stalks of flowers or grass (Mt 6:30), charred wood as charcoal (Le 16:12; Isa 44:19, and frequently), and dried dung (Eze 4:12,15). There is no certain indication that our coal was known to the Hebrews as fuel, and their houses, being without chimneys, were not constructed for the extensive use of fuel for warmth.

Leonard W. Doolan

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Firing, combustible matter, combustibles, material for burning, firing material.

Moby Thesaurus

ammunition, bunker, cater, charge, coal, combustible, detonate, encourage, encouragement, exacerbate, excite, exhaust, explode, feed, fill up, food, forage, fossil fuel, fuel up, fulminate, gas, gas up, incite, incitement, inflame, jet propulsion, kindling, liquid oxygen, nourish, nourishment, nuclear fuel, nutriment, nutrition, oil, propellant, propulsion charge, provender, provision, provocation, provoke, purvey, reaction propulsion, refuel, rocket propulsion, sell, stimulate, stimulus, stoke, sustain, sustenance, thrust, tinder, top off, victual