fuel

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English fuayle, from Old French fouaille, feuaille (“firewood, kindling”), from feu (“fire”), from Late Latin focus (“fire”), from Latin focus (“hearth”), whence English focus. Cognate with Spanish fuego (“fire”), and Portuguese fogo (“fire”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈfjuːəl/, /ˈfjuːl/ (US) IPA(key): [ˈfjuwəɫ] (some speakers) Rhymes: -uːəl, -uːl === Noun === fuel (countable and uncountable, plural fuels) Substance consumed to provide energy through combustion, or through chemical or nuclear reaction. Substance that provides nourishment for a living organism; food. (figuratively) Something that stimulates, encourages or maintains an action. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === fuel (third-person singular simple present fuels, present participle (US) fueling or (UK) fuelling, simple past and past participle (US) fueled or (UK) fuelled) (transitive) To provide with fuel. (transitive) To exacerbate, to cause to grow or become greater. ==== Usage notes ==== Fuelled and fuelling are Commonwealth spellings. Fueled and fueling are US spellings and common in Canada. ==== Derived terms ==== refuel ==== Translations ==== === Anagrams === flue, fule == French == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English fuel, itself from Old French fouaille. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fjul/ === Noun === fuel m (plural fuels) alternative form of fioul === Further reading === “fuel”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Middle English == === Noun === fuel (Late Middle English) alternative form of fuayle == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English fuel. === Noun === fuel m (plural fueles) fuel oil === Further reading === “fuel”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025