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

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 • Jan. 14, 2020

Coal tipples and the soft bituminous coal they handle are more common in Western Pennsylvania, she said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 25, 2017

With increasing heat and pressure, lignite turns to sub-bituminous coal, bituminous coal, and then, in a process like metamorphism, anthracite.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The “souvenir” globes are filled with plastics collected from the Hudson River and the rocks are made of bituminous coal from a closed landfill in Deadhorse Bay, both in in south Brooklyn.

From Time • Jun. 8, 2016

Christmas 1958 wasn’t a white one, but it was bitterly cold, no problem in a town sitting on a billion tons of the finest bituminous coal in the world.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam