Oleos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe oils or fats derived from plant sources
2. Referring to fatty substances, particularly those extracted from olives or similar vegetation
3. Denoting any oil-based product, often with culinary applications or health benefits

Etymology: Latin "oleum" meant olive oil, and that root lies behind oleos, the plural of oleo. Oleo is a clipping of "oleomargarine," the name for a butter substitute. That longer name joins "oleum" with "margarine," which comes from Greek "margarites," meaning pearl, a reference to the pearly look of its fatty droplets. The same short form appears in aviation. An oleo strut is the shock absorber on an aircraft's landing gear, filled with oil and gas, and oleo there is shortened from that phrase. Both uses keep the Latin idea of oil alive, one in food and the other in machinery.

Synonyms: margarines, spreads