Definition of "mineral oil" [mineral oil]

• Any of various light hydrocarbon oils, especially a distillate of petroleum. (noun)
• A refined distillate of petroleum, used as a laxative. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In­sisted that he only needed a little mineral oil and some peppermint for his stomachache!"
• "Synthetic emollients, such as mineral oil or petrolatum"
• "Super-cheap mineral oil and petroleum jelly may be derived from natural petroleum, for example, but they are so highly processed exposed to heat and pressure that they no longer readily break down in the environment or on the skin."