petrochemical

adjective

relating to the oil industry

noun

chemical made from fossil fuels

Wiktionary

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek πέτρᾱ (pétrā)bor. Latin petrader. English petro- Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă) Ancient Greek χῠ́μᾰ (khŭ́mă) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ία (-ía) Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā)bor. Arabic الْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ)bor. Medieval Latin alchēmia ▲ Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā)influ. New Latin chēmia Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus New Latin chēmicus Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English chemical English petrochemical From petro- + chemical.

Of or pertaining to the such compounds, or the industry that produces them.
“In 2006, about 6 percent of the world's crude oil production was used in non-energy applications, primarily as a petrochemical feedstock.”

noun

Any chemical derived from petroleum.
“Another is a Bloomberg project we're participating in that looks beyond petrochemicals.”
Any chemical derived from any of the fossil fuels: petroleum, natural gas, or coal.
“As the prices of petroleum, natural gas, and coal fluctuate over the years, the petrochemical industry can to some extent switch feedstocks.”