Naphtha
Naphtha (/ˈnæfθə/ or /ˈnæpθə/) is a general term that has been used for over two thousand years to refer to flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures. Mixtures labelled naphtha have been produced from natural gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and the distillation of coal tar and peat. It is used differently in different industries and regions to refer to gross products like crude oil or refined products such as kerosene.
Etymology
The word naphtha came from Latin and Greek where it derived from Persian. In Ancient Greek, it was used to refer to any sort of petroleum or pitch. The term entered Semitic languages as well in antiquity: It appears in Arabic as نَفْط nafṭ ("petroleum"), in Syriac as ܢܰܦܬܳܐ naftā, and in Hebrew as נֵפְט neft.
A 2nd century BCE Koine Greek religious text uses the word "naphtha" to refer to a miraculously flammable liquid. The subjects called the liquid "nephthar", meaning "purification", but note that "most people" call it naphtha (or Nephi).
Naphtha is the root of the word naphthalene. The second syllable of "naphtha" can also be recognised in phthalate.
