Meaning

noun from crude petroleum; used for candles and for preservative or waterproof coatings

noun a series of non-aromatic saturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH(2n+2)

noun (British usage) kerosine

originFrom Latin paraffinum, from parum (too little) + affinis (related, affinity). Therefore low affinity or being chemically neutral.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0