bitumen

[ bahy-too-muh n, -tyoo-, bi-, bich-oo- ]

/ baɪˈtu mən, -ˈtyu-, bɪ-, ˈbɪtʃ ʊ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bitumen ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various natural substances, as asphalt, maltha, or gilsonite, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons.

(formerly) an asphalt of Asia Minor used as cement and mortar.

RELATED WORDS

blacktop

Nearby words

bitterwort, bitting, bittock, bittorrent, bitty, bitumen, bituminize, bituminous, bituminous coal, bitzer, biunique

Origin of bitumen

1425–75; late Middle English bithumen < Latin bitūmen

Related formsbi·tu·mi·noid

[bahy-too-muh-noid, -tyoo-, bi-] /baɪˈtu məˌnɔɪd, -ˈtyu-, bɪ-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bitumen

A few years ago birds began dying after landing on these lakes and getting slathered in bitumen.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero|Darren Aronofsky|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many runways are asphaltic concrete—aggregate in a bitumen binder—which softens and melts under heat.
Why Can’t America’s Newest Stealth Jet Land Like It’s Supposed To?|Bill Sweetman|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These two matters being united together produced a red, thick compound, which by evaporation became like a natural Bitumen.
Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chymistry, 5th ed.|Pierre Joseph Macquer
They are making a basket of bulrushes, and plastering it with bitumen.
Sermons of Christmas Evans|Joseph Cross

Here also there are buttresses, in which the tiles are cemented with bitumen.
The History of Antiquity, Vol. I (of VI)|Max Duncker
I have cut great trenches and cased their sides with bricks and bitumen.
The History of Antiquity, Vol. III (of VI)|Max Duncker
You are aware of the self-consciousness of Chicago as soon as you are aware of its bitumen.
Your United States|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for bitumen

bitumen

/ (ˈbɪtjʊmɪn) /

noun

any of various viscous or solid impure mixtures of hydrocarbons that occur naturally in asphalt, tar, mineral waxes, etc: used as a road surfacing and roofing material

the constituents of coal that can be extracted by an organic solvent

any liquid suitable for coating aggregates

the bitumen

Australian and NZ informal any road with a bitumen surface
(capital) Australian informal the road in the Northern Territory between Darwin and Alice Springs

a transparent brown pigment or glaze made from asphalt

Derived Formsbituminous (bɪˈtjuːmɪnəs), adjective

Word Origin for bitumen

C15: from Latin bitūmen, perhaps of Celtic origin

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 bitumen

bitumen

mid-15c., from Latin bitumen "asphalt," probably, via Oscan or Umbrian, from Celtic *betu- "birch, birch resin" (cf. Gaulish betulla "birch," used by Pliny for the tree supposedly the source of bitumen).

Science definitions for bitumen

bitumen

[ bĭ-tōō′mən ]

Any of various flammable mixtures of hydrocarbons and other substances found in asphalt and tar. Bitumens occur naturally or are produced from petroleum and coal.