charcoal
charcoals; charcoaled; charcoaling
Charcoal is the black substance left over when wood is heated in the absence of oxygen. You can cook with charcoal by burning it in your backyard grill.
Charcoal is used in many ways, but its most important use has probably been by blacksmiths and other metal workers, who historically used extremely hot charcoal fires to heat metal. Charcoal is also used to make explosive blasting powders and common water filters. One theory of the word's origin combines the obsolete verb charren, "to turn," and cole, "coal" — in other words, "to turn to coal."
Definitions of charcoal
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a carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic matter in the absence of air
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synonyms:
wood coal
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type of:
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C, atomic number 6, carbon
an abundant nonmetallic tetravalent element occurring in three allotropic forms: amorphous carbon and graphite and diamond; occurs in all organic compounds
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fuel
a substance that can be consumed to produce energy
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C, atomic number 6, carbon
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a stick of black carbon material used for drawing
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synonyms:
fusain
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type of:
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writing implement
an implement that is used to write
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writing implement
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a drawing made with a stick of black carbon material
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type of:
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drawing
a representation of forms or objects on a surface by means of lines
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drawing
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draw, trace, or represent with charcoal
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type of:
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draw
represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface
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draw
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a very dark grey color
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synonyms:
charcoal gray, charcoal grey, oxford gray, oxford grey
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of a very dark grey
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synonyms:
charcoal-gray, charcoal-grey
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achromatic, neutral
having no hue
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achromatic, neutral
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘charcoal'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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