English Noun petroleum ether A volatile petroleum fraction, usually available in a number of fractions boiling between 40°C and 140°C, and used as a solvent in the laboratory and industry. Synonyms: ligroin, petroleum spirit, petroleum spirits Usage notes This material is not an ether in the chemical sense. Translations petroleum fraction Chinese: Mandarin: 石油醚 (zh) (shíyóumí) Finnish: liuotinbensiini French: éther de pétrole m German: Petrolether m Japanese: 石油エーテル (sekiyu ēteru) Russian: петроле́йный эфи́р (ru) m (petroléjnyj efír) Wikiwand - on Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.