grease

grease mixture of lubricant and thickener. It is used to reduce friction between surfaces from which oils would leak away or cause damage by dripping, or where lubrication must be assured for extended periods. Many greases are mixtures of mineral oil and soap. The more common of them contain a calcium-base soap that withstands water but not high temperature, or a sodium-base soap that withstands higher temperatures and adheres well but dissolves in water. Other soaps used in greases have bases of lithium, aluminum, barium, or strontium. Nonsoap thickeners include carbon black, which is unaffected by temperature and is therefore used with extreme low-temperature lubricants; silica gel; and bentonite, a clay developed for universal greases. Solid lubricants are sometimes used for extreme bearing pressures and high temperatures. Synthetic oils are sometimes used for special conditions, generally temperature extremes.

grease melted fat XIII; fat of a beast of the chase XIV. — AN. grece, gresse, (O)F. graisse :- Rom. *crassia, f. L. crassus fat.
Hence grease vb. XV. greasy XVI.

grease • n. / grēs/ oily or fatty matter, in particular: ∎  a thick oily substance used as a lubricant: axle grease. ∎  oil or fat used or produced in cooking. ∎  oily matter in the hair, esp. when used for styling. ∎  the oily matter in unprocessed wool; lanolin. • v. / grēs; grēz/ [tr.] smear or lubricate with grease: [as adj.] (greased) place on a greased baking sheet. PHRASES: grease the palm of inf. bribe (someone). grease the skids inf. help matters run smoothly: his mission was to use his budgetary skills to grease the skids for new projects. grease the wheels help something go smoothly: it is inadequate to grease the wheels of recovery. like greased lightning inf. extremely fast: you come up with plans faster than greased lightning.DERIVATIVES: grease·less adj. ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French graisse, based on Latin crassus ‘thick, fat.’