lignite

[lig-nahyt] /ˈlɪg naɪt/
noun
1.
a soft coal, usually dark brown, often having a distinct woodlike texture, and intermediate in density and carbon content between peat and bituminous coal.
Origin
1800-10; lign- + -ite1
Related forms
lignitic
[lig-nit-ik] /lɪgˈnɪt ɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
Examples from the web for lignite
  • The lignite was then pressed against a series of water permeable screens and drainage plates.
British Dictionary definitions for lignite

lignite

/ˈlɪɡnaɪt/
noun
1.
a brown carbonaceous sedimentary rock with woody texture that consists of accumulated layers of partially decomposed vegetation: used as a fuel. Fixed carbon content: 46–60 per cent; calorific value: 1.28 × 107 to 1.93 × 107 J/kg (5500 to 8300 Btu/lb) Also called brown coal
Derived Forms
lignitic (lɪɡˈnɪtɪk) adjective
Word Origin and History for lignite
n.

"imperfectly formed coal," 1808, from French, from Latin lignum "wood" (see ligni-). Brown coal that still shows traces of the wood it once was. Probably directly from Lithanthrax Lignius, name given to woody coal by Swedish chemist Johan Gottschalk Wallerius (1709-1785) in 1775.

lignite in Science
lignite
(lĭg'nīt')
A soft, brownish-black form of coal having more carbon than peat but less carbon than bituminous coal. Lignite is easy to mine but does not burn as well as other forms of coal. It is a greater polluter than bituminous coal because it has a higher sulphur content. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal.