1) Kerosene is a petroleum distillate used in cook stoves and some older backpacking stoves. It can also be used in wick-fed lamps. It is a thin and colorless flammable hydrocarbon oil also known as "paraffin", and is sometimes used as a solvent. (Exciting, right?) It is sometimes also known as "range oil", "stove oil", or "coal oil". All of which are just as exciting. True! (Can you feel it?)
2) But wait! There's more! Kerosene is alternately described as a light petroleum oil, one that generates pronounced fumes and dark, greasy smoke, blackens cookware, and clogs stoves. (Hey! That's something!) It is non-explosive but stinky. (I.e., similar to diesel fuel in a lot of ways.) While it evokes all the romance and charm of diesel, it is no longer easy to find in the U.S., though it is more available elsewhere — places where aroma is valued. But it burns hot, if you can get it lit. Have fun with that.
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Me? Will definitely do some thinking next week, maybe.
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definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
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noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals