Why Is Gas Called Petrol In England?

Much in the same way that trucks are called lorries in England, the Brits also have a totally different word for gas, too. While those in the U.K. still use the term gas, they do not use it to refer to any type of car fuel. Instead, gas to the British would usually refer to cooking gas, just as it does in the U.S.

When talking about gas, or gasoline, those in the U.K. will use the word "petrol" instead. The term petrol is simply a shortened version of the word petroleum, a word that can trace its origins back centuries. The Latin word "petra" means rock, while the Latin for oil is "oleum" — so petroleum literally means "rock oil" when stripped back to its earliest Latin origins. This makes sense, as petrol (or gasoline) is largely derived from crude oil, which is found beneath the Earth's surface, sometimes between rocks.

When looking to fill a vehicle up with fuel, Brits will therefore look for a petrol station or a petrol pump, as opposed to a gas station. There are numerous other differences in language between the British and Americans, especially within the automotive space. Other examples include the word "bonnet" instead of hood, and "boot" instead of trunk. Interestingly enough, though, some of these American terms can trace their origins back to Britain, and gasoline is a perfect example of this.

Even though gasoline is indeed a very American word that Brits would never use for petrol, the word itself may have originally hailed from that side of the pond. Admittedly, the true origins are contested, with some sources claiming that the word "gasoline" was formed by joining the Latin words "gas," "ol," and "lene," together. However, others believe the word gasoline derives from an old trade name, Cazeline. Cazeline was a brand of heating lamp oil used within Victorian Britain, and by all accounts, it was very popular. The story goes that Cazeline's owner, Mr. Cassell, noticed that sales in Dublin had slumped, and upon investigation, he realized this was due to a counterfeit product being sold under his brand name. 

The Irish seller of this counterfeit product was a certain Samuel Boyd, and Cassell sent a cease and desist letter to Boyd in November 1864. After no response, Cassell sent two people Boyd's way to investigate further. What they found was that Boyd had doctored the labels: Instead of stating "Cazeline Oil", Boyd had simply amended the "C" with his pen to look like a "G," thus leaving him with bottles labeled "Gazeline Oil". Some think that this could be the true origin of the term gasoline, or perhaps just the inspiration behind its mass adoption. Either way, this would mean that the typically American term has distinctly British roots.