anthracite

[ an-thruh-sahyt ]

See synonyms for anthracite on Thesaurus.com

noun

a mineral coal containing little of the volatile hydrocarbons and burning almost without flame; hard coal.

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Origin of anthracite

1810–15; probably <French <Latin (Pliny) anthracītis kind of coal. See anthrac-, -ite¹

Also called anthracite coal .

Other words from anthracite

an·thra·cit·ic [an-thruh-sit-ik], /ˌæn θrəˈsɪt ɪk/, an·thra·cit·ous [an-thruh-sahy-tuhs], /ˈæn θrəˌsaɪ təs/, adjective

Words Nearby anthracite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anthracite in a sentence

When pure and of close hard grain it is used as a refractory for lining furnaces, especially those designed for anthracite.
Asbestos | Robert H. Jones
There are four types: bituminous (soft), anthracite (hard), semi-bituminous and semi-anthracite.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. Torpey
Tried at a measured mile with anthracite and Merthyr coal mixed, three years afterwards, her average speed was 11 knots.
Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
He was of middle age, black as anthracite coal, bald-headed, (p. 226) and was dressed in pants and coat made of old sailcloth.
The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.
The cooking-range, a large one designed to burn anthracite coal, was the general warming apparatus.
The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for anthracite

anthracite

/ (ˈænθrəˌsaɪt) /

noun

a hard jet-black coal that burns slowly with a nonluminous flame giving out intense heat. Fixed carbon content: 86–98 per cent; calorific value: 3.14 × 10 7 –3.63 × 10 7 J/kg: Also called: hard coal

Origin of anthracite

C19: from Latin anthracītes type of bloodstone, from Greek anthrakitēs coal-like, from anthrax coal, anthrax

Derived forms of anthracite

anthracitic (ˌænθrəˈsɪtɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for anthracite

anthracite

[ ăn′thrə-sīt′ ]

A hard, shiny coal that has a high carbon content. It is valued as a fuel because it burns with a clean flame and without smoke or odor, but it is much less abundant than bituminous coal. Compare bituminous coal lignite.

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