coal

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable) A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
2. (countable) A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
3. (countable) A piece of coal used for burning (this use is less common in American English)
4. (countable) A glowing or charred piece of coal, wood, or other solid fuel.
5. (countable, uncountable) Charcoal.
6. (Internet, countable, uncountable) Content of low quality.
7. (countable, slang, uncountable) Bombs emitting black smoke on impact.
8. (countable, obsolete, slang, uncountable) Money.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To take on a supply of coal (usually of steam ships or locomotives).
2. (transitive) To supply with coal.
3. (intransitive) To be converted to charcoal.
4. (transitive) To burn to charcoal; to char.
5. (transitive) To mark or delineate with charcoal.

Adj

Black like coal; coal-black.

Synonyms

charcoal

carbon

ember

char

become charred

embers

coke

black diamond

coals

fuel

gas

glow

heat

mine

oil

pit coal

reflection

seed

smolder

smoulder

be charred

burning coal

naturally occurring

carburise

wood charcoal

black coal

pitcoal

Chinese ink

anthracite

izle

anthrax

blaze

burn

carbonize

carbuncle

chemical element

clinker

Translations

carbón

Kohle

charbon

carbone

carvão

kool

houille

carbó

steenkool

κάρβουνο

brasa

فحم

brace

Steinkohle

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kəʊl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: cole

Inherited from Old English: col

Cognate with Western Frisian: koal

Cognate with Dutch: kool

Cognate with German: Kohle

Cognate with Danish: kul

Cognate with Old Irish: gúal

Cognate with Lithuanian: žvìlti

Cognate with Persian: زغال

Cognate with Sanskrit: ज्वल्

Cognate with Tokharian B: śoliye

In summary

From Middle English cole, from Old English col, from Proto-West Germanic *kol, from Proto-Germanic *kulą, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵwelH- (“to burn, shine”).
Cognate with West Frisian koal (“coal”), Cimbrian kholl (“coal”), Dutch kool (“coal; carbon”), German Kohle (“coal”), Luxembourgish Kuel (“coal”), Vilamovian köła (“coal”), Yiddish קויל (koyl, “coal”), Danish kul (“coal”), Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish kol (“coal; carbon”), Jamtish kuł (“coal; carbon”). Compare Middle Irish gúal (“coal”), Lithuanian žvi̇̀lti (“to twinkle, glow”), Persian زغال (zoġâl, “live coal”), Sanskrit ज्वल् (jval, “to burn, glow”), Tocharian B śoliye (“hearth”), all from the same root.