charcoal
charcoal Lexical Profile
charcoal Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A porous black solid consisting of an amorphous form of carbon, obtained as a residue when wood, bone, or other organic matter is heated in the absence of air, used primarily as a fuel or filter.
"We lit the bag of charcoal and waited for the embers to glow before grilling the vegetables."
A stick or pencil of fine carbon used for drawing, or a drawing made with such a stick.
"The art student used a stick of willow charcoal to sketch the dramatic shadows of the sculpture."
A dark gray color with a slight bluish or brownish cast, resembling that of burnt wood.
"The living room walls were painted in a modern shade of matte charcoal."
• adjective
Having a very dark gray or nearly black color, resembling burnt wood.
"He wore a tailored charcoal suit to the formal dinner."
• verb
To broil or grill food over glowing carbonized wood.
"They charcoaled the marinated steaks in the backyard for Sunday dinner."
To draw, sketch, or blacken with a stick of carbonized wood.
"The artist quickly charcoaled the outline of the mountain range onto the canvas."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English charcole, a compound combining the root of charren ('to turn, convert') with cole ('coal'), literally meaning 'wood turned into coal'.