charcoal

[chahr-kohl] /ˈtʃɑrˌkoʊl/
noun
1.
the carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic substances in the absence of air.
2.
a drawing pencil of charcoal.
3.
a drawing made with charcoal.
verb (used with object)
4.
to blacken, write, or draw with charcoal.
5.
to cook (food) over charcoal, especially on a grill.
verb (used without object)
6.
to cook food over charcoal, especially on a grill.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English charcole, perhaps cherre char3 + cole coal, though literal sense of the compound is unclear
Related forms
charcoaly, adjective
Examples from the web for charcoal
  • Maybe you should mix in some actuated charcoal to absorb a tiny bit of the smell.
  • Put several pieces of activated charcoal on a paper towel and set it in the middle of the room.
  • In addition, commercial charcoal makers also harvest oak trees.
  • The block is so arranged that it smoulders slowly and is not finally reduced to charcoal till the expiry of a year.
  • The lady was sketching in charcoal the head of her future husband, although she wore no widow's veil.
  • With charcoal gray cloth and stamped red leaf accents, it's a stunner.
  • Nearby, a charcoal-fired wok sizzles, spewing spicy smoke into the hot breeze.
  • The trees used-up for charcoal and concrete and steel imported.
  • The explosive he described was composed of six parts of saltpetre to five parts of charcoal and five parts of sulphur.
  • charcoal burning is forbidden for the sake of the environment.
British Dictionary definitions for charcoal

charcoal

/ˈtʃɑːˌkəʊl/
noun
1.
a black amorphous form of carbon made by heating wood or other organic matter in the absence of air: used as a fuel, in smelting metal ores, in explosives, and as an absorbent See activated carbon
2.
a stick or pencil of this for drawing
3.
a drawing done in charcoal
4.
short for charcoal grey
verb
5.
(transitive) to write, draw, or blacken with charcoal
Word Origin
C14: from char (origin obscure) + coal
Word Origin and History for charcoal
n.

mid-14c., charcole, first element is either Old French charbon "charcoal," or, on the current theory, obsolete charren "to turn" (from Old English cerran) + cole "coal," thus, "to turn to coal."

charcoal in Medicine

charcoal char·coal (chär'kōl')
n.

  1. Carbon obtained by heating or burning organic material with restricted access of air.

  2. Activated charcoal.

charcoal in Science
charcoal
  (chär'kōl')   
A black porous form of carbon produced by heating wood or bone in little or no air. Charcoal is used as a fuel, for drawing, and in air and water filters.