anthracite

[an-thruh-sahyt]

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noun

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

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

Related Words for anthracite

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

Examples from the Web for anthracite

Historical Examples of anthracite

On the contrary, England will find it advantageous to come to us for our anthracite.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 445
Various
Anthracite coal was known in this country only as a hard black rock.
Checking the Waste
Mary Huston Gregory
The second kind of coal, the sort that is hard and bright, is anthracite.
Diggers in the Earth
Eva March Tappan
There are gradations from bituminous coal into anthracite coal.
The Economic Aspect of Geology
C. K. Leith
I have heard that it is the only place in the world where anthracite has been found.
Derrick Sterling
Kirk Monroe

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

"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.).

anthracite in Science

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.