cannel coal

American  

[kan-l] / ˈkæn l /

noun

1. an oily, compact coal, burning readily and brightly.

---

cannel coal British  

/ ˈkænəl /

noun

1. a dull coal having a high volatile content and burning with a smoky luminous flame

---

Etymology

Origin of cannel coal

1530–40; cannel from candle (dial. form)

Example Sentences

On digging a ditch to drain a part of a bog in Maine, U.S., in which peat to a depth of twenty feet had accumulated, a substance similar to cannel coal itself was found.

From The Story of a Piece of Coal What It Is, Whence It Comes, and Whither It Goes by Martin, Edward A.

No members of the Glasgow Committee were present when either the undisputed Late Celtic comb, or the inscribed, perforated, and disputed pieces of cannel coal were discovered. 

From The Clyde Mystery a Study in Forgeries and Folklore by Lang, Andrew

I have since discovered they are cannel coal, not bog oak.

From The Life of Gordon, Volume I by Boulger, Demetrius Charles

The cold, steady, dark eyes seldom flashed or glittered; but, when their pupils contracted, there came into them a sort of sullen, suppressed, inward light, like that of jet or cannel coal.

From Sword and Gown A Novel by Lawrence, George A. (George Alfred)

This excess is greatest in what is known as cannel coal, the Lancashire kennel or candle coal, so named from the bright light it gives out when burning.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various