Lubricant

Description

Any substance that is used to reduce friction or prevent abrasion. Lubricants are oily, greasy or waxy type materials. They can be obtained from animal fat, such as stearin and lard, from vegetable oils, such as linseed oil, castor oil and cottonseed oil, or from petroleum products such as mineral oil and paraffin. Lubricants can also be inorganic materials such as talc, graphite or molybdenum disulfide. Synthetic lubricants include silicones, polyethers, phosphate esters, silicate esters, and fluorinated hydrocarbons. Lubricants are used on textiles and yarns to make them more pliable and to given them a good feel. Lubricants, such as WD-40, Rifle oil and sewing machine oil, are used on metal moving parts for protection from abrasion and corrosion. Mold release agents, such as carnauba wax and silicone oils, are also considered lubricants.

Synonyms and Related Terms

lubricating oil; lubricante (Esp.); lubrifiant (Fr.); olio lubrificante (It)

Authority

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Richard S. Lewis, Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990

• Pam Hatchfield, Pam Hatchfield, Pollutants in the Museum Environment, Archetype Press, London, 2002

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000