French Conversation · Level 85
60 words
French word
raffinerie
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁafinəʁi/
Meaning
- feminine nounrefinery
Example
La raffinerie transforme le pétrole en carburant.
The refinery processes oil into fuel.
More examples
La raffinerie locale a été fermée pour maintenance.
The local refinery was closed for maintenance.
Core concept
A maze of towers, pipes, and processing units turning a crude input into several marketable outputs.
Common phrases
une raffinerie de pétrole
an oil refinery
la raffinerie locale
the local refinery
Similar words
usine: A building or facility where raw materials are processed into finished products.
site: A location or grounds containing particular buildings or equipment.
Definition in French
Établissement industriel consacré au raffinage d'une matière première, notamment du pétrole, pour produire carburants et produits dérivés.
Word origin
Raffinerie is derived from raffiner with the French suffix -erie, which forms nouns for places or activities; raffiner was borrowed from Italian raffinare and is related to Latin raffinare.
Usage tips
- The usual phrase for an oil refinery is raffinerie de pétrole, with de introducing the material being processed.