Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

bituminous

[bahy-too-muh-nuh s, -tyoo-, bi-]
See more synonyms for bituminous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. resembling or containing bitumen: bituminous shale.
Show More

Origin of bituminous

1610–20; < Latin bitūminōsus, equivalent to bitūmin- (stem of bitūmen) bitumen + -ōsus -ous
Related formsnon·bi·tu·mi·nous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bituminous

Historical Examples

  • The surface may or may not be coated with some bituminous material.

    American Rural Highways

    T. R. Agg

  • Like all bituminous earths, it needs the strongest drying oil.

  • This hypothesis is based on experimental work with bituminous shales.

  • Bituminous may be distinguished from subbituminous by the manner of weathering.

  • There are gradations from bituminous coal into anthracite coal.

Word Origin and History for bituminous

adj.

1610s, from French bitumineux, from Latin bituminosus, from bitumen (see bitumen).

The Plain, wherein a black bituminous gurge Boiles out from under ground, the mouth of Hell. ["Paradise Lost," XII.41]
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper