Coal

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kəʊl/

Definitions

1. A dense, carbon-containing material formed from ancient plants that burns to produce heat and power
2. A solid black or dark brown rock made from decomposed plants, used as a fuel for heating and electricity generation
3. A combustible mineral substance composed primarily of carbon, employed as a primary source of power and heat

Etymology: Long before English had a word for it, the Germanic peoples had one that meant "glowing ember," and the root behind it, *ǵwelH-, meant "to burn, shine." That same root turns up far away: Sanskrit "jval" means "to burn, glow," and the Persian "zoġâl" means "coal." So the word's core idea is heat and light, not the black rock we now dig from mines. The English form arrived through Old English "col," which was already in use for the glowing lumps in a hearth. Over time the word shifted from the burning ember to the fuel itself, and eventually to the black mineral that replaced wood for heating and smelting. The name stayed attached to the glow even as the object became dark and solid. Across the Germanic languages the word has stayed remarkably steady. German has "Kohle," Dutch "kool," and Swedish "kol," all meaning coal, and Dutch "kool" also carries the sense of carbon, a link that shows how closely the fuel and the chemical element were once linked in people's minds.

Synonyms: fuel, carbon, charcoal, lignite, anthracite