olja

Olja is a noun in Swedish and a closely related term in other Scandinavian languages that means oil, the viscous liquid used as a fuel, a lubricant, or a cooking medium. The Swedish verb olla? No, the verb form in Swedish is att olja, meaning to oil or grease a surface or part. The cognate nouns in Danish and Norwegian are olie and olje, respectively.

The term covers a wide range of substances. Edible oils include olive oil, rapeseed oil, and sunflower oil. Industrial and mechanical oils include engine oils and other lubricants. In the energy sector, the word also refers to petroleum products, such as crude oil.

In everyday language, the word appears in many compound terms describing specific oil types and uses, reflecting its central role in food, industry, and energy. The word’s meaning is determined by context, with distinctions typically made by modifiers (for example, olive oil versus engine oil) and by the languages’ conventional terminology for particular oil categories.

See also:

- Oil (general concept)

- Vegetable oils

- Crude oil

- Engine oil

Note: While “olja” is Swedish, similar forms appear across the Scandinavian languages with slight spelling variations (olja in Swedish, olje in Norwegian, olie in Danish), all referring primarily to oil and its specific varieties.