DCHP-2

Varsol varsol DCHP-2 (November 2016)

• n. — proprietary, Industry

  a light, pretroleum-based solvent; paint thinner.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — Varsol was first manufactured by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. A trademark for the name Varsol was filed by the company in 1928, and registered in 1929 (see US Patent Office reference, search "Varsol", serial number 71262422). The product is now manufactured by the American company Exxon Mobil; however, internet domain searches indicate that although the product is American, the use of the term is more prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1). This may be because Varsol has generalized in the Canadian context to denote any and all types of solvents (note, e.g. the 1997 quotation where the lower case is used, and it is placed on equal footing with generic "gasoline", or the 2015 quotation). In the US, the terms "mineral spirits", or "paint thinner" or other brand names are competitors for Varsol.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "Varsol", which is marked "Cdn proprietary".