ETYMOLOGY

Etymology

The word "petrol" was first used in reference to the refined substance in 1892 (it was previously used to refer to unrefined petroleum), and was registered as a trade name by British wholesaler Carless, Capel & Leonard at the suggestion of Frederick Richard Simms.[1]

Carless's competitors used the term "motor spirit" until the 1930s, but never officially registered it as a trademark.[2][3]

In many countries gasoline is called Benzine or some variant. The usage derives from the chemical benzene, not from Bertha Benz, who used chemists' shops to purchase the gasoline for her famous drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim in 1888.