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anthracite

[an-thruh-sahyt]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR anthracite ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

RELATED WORDS

slack, smut, ember, char, stoke, carbon, fuel, cinder, spark, charcoal, culm, scoria, ash

Nearby words

  1. anthophyllite,
  2. anthotaxy,
  3. anthozoan,
  4. anthrac-,
  5. anthracene,
  6. anthracitic,
  7. anthracnose,
  8. anthraco-,
  9. anthracoid,
  10. anthracosilicosis

Origin of anthracite

1810–15; probably < French < Latin (Pliny) anthracītis kind of coal. See anthrac-, -ite1
Also called anthracite coal.
Related formsan·thra·cit·ic [an-thruh-sit-ik] /ˌæn θrəˈsɪt ɪk/, an·thra·cit·ous [an-thruh-sahy-tuh s] /ˈæn θrəˌsaɪ təs/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for anthracite

British Dictionary definitions for anthracite

anthracite

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/kgAlso called: hard coal
Derived Formsanthracitic (ˌænθrəˈsɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for anthracite

C19: from Latin anthracītes type of bloodstone, from Greek anthrakitēs coal-like, from anthrax coal, anthrax
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
Word Origin and History for anthracite

anthracite

n.

"non-bituminous coal," 1812, earlier (c.1600) a type of ruby-like gem described by Pliny, from Latin anthracites "bloodstone, semi-precious gem," from Greek anthrakites "coal-like," from anthrax (genitive anthrakos) "live coal" (see anthrax). Related: Anthractic (adj.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.