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coal

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coal


  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Coal  \Coal\,  n.  [AS.  col;  akin  to  D.  kool,  OHG.  chol,  cholo,  G. 
  kohle,  Icel.  kol,  pl.,  Sw  kol,  Dan.  kul;  cf  Skr.  jval  to 
  burn.  Cf  {Kiln},  {Collier}.] 
  1.  A  thoroughly  charred,  and  extinguished  or  still  ignited, 
  fragment  from  wood  or  other  combustible  substance; 
  charcoal. 
 
  2.  (Min.)  A  black,  or  brownish  black,  solid,  combustible 
  substance,  dug  from  beds  or  veins  in  the  earth  to  be  used 
  for  fuel,  and  consisting,  like  charcoal,  mainly  of  carbon, 
  but  more  compact,  and  often  affording,  when  heated,  a 
  large  amount  of  volatile  matter. 
 
  Note:  This  word  is  often  used  adjectively,  or  as  the  first 
  part  of  self-explaining  compounds;  as  coal-black;  coal 
  formation;  coal  scuttle;  coal  ship.  etc 
 
  Note:  In  England  the  plural  coals  is  used  for  the  broken 
  mineral  coal  burned  in  grates,  etc.;  as  to  put  coals 
  on  the  fire.  In  the  United  States  the  singular  in  a 
  collective  sense  is  the  customary  usage;  as  a  hod  of 
  coal. 
 
  {Age  of  coal  plants}.  See  {Age  of  Acrogens},  under  {Acrogen}. 
 
 
  {Anthracite}  or  {Glance  coal}.  See  {Anthracite}. 
 
  {Bituminous  coal}.  See  under  {Bituminous}. 
 
  {Blind  coal}.  See  under  {Blind}. 
 
  {Brown  coal},  or  {Lignite}.  See  {Lignite}. 
 
  {Caking  coal},  a  bituminous  coal,  which  softens  and  becomes 
  pasty  or  semi-viscid  when  heated.  On  increasing  the  heat, 
  the  volatile  products  are  driven  off  and  a  coherent, 
  grayish  black,  cellular  mass  of  coke  is  left 
 
  {Cannel  coal},  a  very  compact  bituminous  coal,  of  fine 
  texture  and  dull  luster.  See  {Cannel  coal}. 
 
  {Coal  bed}  (Geol.),  a  layer  or  stratum  of  mineral  coal. 
 
  {Coal  breaker},  a  structure  including  machines  and  machinery 
  adapted  for  crushing,  cleansing,  and  assorting  coal. 
 
  {Coal  field}  (Geol.),  a  region  in  which  deposits  of  coal 
  occur.  Such  regions  have  often  a  basinlike  structure,  and 
  are  hence  called  {coal  basins}.  See  {Basin}. 
 
  {Coal  gas},  a  variety  of  carbureted  hydrogen,  procured  from 
  bituminous  coal,  used  in  lighting  streets,  houses,  etc., 
  and  for  cooking  and  heating. 
 
  {Coal  heaver},  a  man  employed  in  carrying  coal,  and  esp.  in 
  putting  it  in  and  discharging  it  from  ships. 
 
  {Coal  measures}.  (Geol.) 
  a  Strata  of  coal  with  the  attendant  rocks. 
  b  A  subdivision  of  the  carboniferous  formation,  between 
  the  millstone  grit  below  and  the  Permian  formation 
  above,  and  including  nearly  all  the  workable  coal  beds 
  of  the  world. 
 
  {Coal  oil},  a  general  name  for  mineral  oils;  petroleum. 
 
  {Coal  plant}  (Geol.),  one  of  the  remains  or  impressions  of 
  plants  found  in  the  strata  of  the  coal  formation. 
 
  {Coal  tar}.  See  in  the  Vocabulary. 
 
  {To  haul  over  the  coals},  to  call  to  account;  to  scold  or 
  censure.  [Colloq.] 
 
  {Wood  coal}.  See  {Lignite}. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Coal  \Coal\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Coaled};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Coaling}.] 
  1.  To  burn  to  charcoal;  to  char.  [R.] 
 
  Charcoal  of  roots,  coaled  into  great  pieces. 
  --Bacon. 
 
  2.  To  mark  or  delineate  with  charcoal.  --Camden. 
 
  3.  To  supply  with  coal;  as  to  coal  a  steamer. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Coal  \Coal\,  v.  i. 
  To  take  in  coal;  as  the  steamer  coaled  at  Southampton. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  coal 
  n  1:  carbonized  vegetable  matter  deposited  in  the  Carboniferous 
  period 
  2:  a  hot  glowing  or  smouldering  fragment  of  wood  or  coal  left 
  from  a  fire  [syn:  {ember}] 
  v  1:  burn  to  charcoal  [syn:  {char}] 
  2:  supply  with  coal 
  3:  take  in  coal,  as  of  a  ship 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Coal 
  It  is  by  no  means  certain  that  the  Hebrews  were  acquainted  with 
  mineral  coal,  although  it  is  found  in  Syria.  Their  common  fuel 
  was  dried  dung  of  animals  and  wood  charcoal.  Two  different  words 
  are  found  in  Hebrew  to  denote  coal,  both  occurring  in  Prov. 
  26:21,  "As  coal  [Heb.  peham;  i.e.,  "black  coal"]  is  to  burning 
  coal  [Heb.  gehalim]."  The  latter  of  these  words  is  used  in  Job 
  41:21;  Prov.  6:28;  Isa.  44:19.  The  words  "live  coal"  in  Isa.  6:6 
  are  more  correctly  "glowing  stone."  In  Lam.  4:8  the  expression 
  "blacker  than  a  coal"  is  literally  rendered  in  the  margin  of  the 
  Revised  Version  "darker  than  blackness."  "Coals  of  fire"  (2  Sam. 
  22:9,  13;  Ps  18:8,  12,  13,  etc.)  is  an  expression  used 
  metaphorically  for  lightnings  proceeding  from  God.  A  false 
  tongue  is  compared  to  "coals  of  juniper"  (Ps.  120:4;  James  3:6). 
  "Heaping  coals  of  fire  on  the  head"  symbolizes  overcoming  evil 
  with  good.  The  words  of  Paul  (Rom.  12:20)  are  equivalent  to 
  saying,  "By  charity  and  kindness  thou  shalt  soften  down  his 
  enmity  as  surely  as  heaping  coals  on  the  fire  fuses  the  metal  in 
  the  crucible." 
 




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