bituminous coal

American  

noun

1. a mineral coal that contains volatile hydrocarbons and tarry matter and burns with a yellow, smoky flame; soft coal.

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bituminous coal British  

noun

1. Also called: soft coal.  a soft black coal, rich in volatile hydrocarbons, that burns with a smoky yellow flame. Fixed carbon content: 46–86 per cent; calorific value: 1.93 × 10 ⁷ – 3.63 × 10 ⁷ J/kg

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bituminous coal Scientific  

/ bĭ-to̅o̅′mə-nəs /

1. A soft type of coal that burns with a smoky, yellow flame. Bituminous coal is the most abundant form of coal. It has a high sulfur content, and when burned, gives off sulfurous compounds that contribute to air pollution and acid rain.

2. Compare anthracite lignite

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Etymology

Origin of bituminous coal

First recorded in 1875–80

Compare meaning

How does bituminous-coal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anthracite vs. bituminous coal

Example Sentences

Named for the coalfields that had been found alongside the nearby Bluestone River, the Bluefields sat amid some of the largest deposits of bituminous coal in the world.

From Literature

Last year, the Mitchell plant burned about 2.5 million tons of bituminous coal.

From Washington Times

Just east of the school as Railroad Avenue turns into Quinnon Extended are the historic coke ovens, where tons of bituminous coal were smelted into coke.

From Seattle Times

The new company plans to produce about 35 million tons of bituminous coal annually.

From Seattle Times

The game was born out of distinctly American forms of machinery, from Walter Camp’s New Haven Clock Company to the bituminous coal and mill towns of Pennsylvania.

From Washington Post