culm

Meaning

1. Waste coal, used as a poor quality fuel; slack.
2. Anthracite, especially when found in small masses.

Synonyms

slack

haulm

blade

cane

shuck

stalk

straw

stubble

nickings

coal slack

slack coal

axis

coal screenings

chaff

halm

husk

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kʌlm/

Etymology

From Middle English culme, colme (“fragments of coal”), of uncertain origin. Probably from Old English *colm, related to Old English col (“coal”). Alternatively, perhaps from Welsh cwlm (“knot or tie”), applied to this species of coal, which is much found in balls or knots in some parts of Wales.