'Cosmoline' definitions:

Definition of 'Cosmoline'

From: GCIDE
  • Petrolatum \Pet`ro*la"tum\, n. (Chem. & Pharm.) A semisolid unctuous substance, neutral, and without taste or odor, derived from petroleum by distilling off the lighter portions and purifying the residue. It is a yellowish, fatlike mass, transparent in thin layers, and somewhat fluorescent. It is used as a bland protective dressing, and as a substitute for fatty materials in ointments. --U. S. Pharm. [1913 Webster]
  • Note: Petrolatum is the official name for the purified product. Cosmoline and vaseline are commercial names for substances essentially the same, but differing slightly in appearance and consistency or fusibility. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Cosmoline'

From: GCIDE
  • Cosmoline \Cos"mo*line\ (k?z"m?-l?n), n. [Prob. fr. cosmetic + L. oleum oil.] (Chem.) A substance obtained from the residues of the distillation of petroleum, essentially the same as vaseline, but of somewhat stiffer consistency, and consisting of a mixture of the higher paraffines; a kind of petroleum jelly. [1913 Webster]