coal tar

American  

noun

1. a thick, black, viscid liquid formed during the distillation of coal, that upon further distillation yields compounds, as benzene, anthracene, and phenol, from which are derived a large number of dyes, drugs, and other synthetic compounds, and that yields a final residuum coal-tar pitch, which is used chiefly in making pavements.

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coal tar British  

noun

1. a black tar, produced by the distillation of bituminous coal, that can be further distilled to yield benzene, toluene, xylene, anthracene, phenol, etc

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coal tar Scientific  

1. A thick, sticky, black liquid obtained through the destructive distillation (heating in the absence of air) of coal. It is used as a source of many organic compounds, such as benzene, naphthalene, and phenols, which are used in dyes, drugs, and other compounds.

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Other Word Forms

• coal-tar
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of coal tar

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Coal tar and creosote wastes have also migrated through the soil and continue to seep up from the sediments near the outfall.

From Washington Post • Jun. 24, 2022

Coal tar and creosote pollution of the river is an imminent and substantial danger to the environment and human health, and it must end.

From Washington Post • Jun. 24, 2022

Coal tar discharges at the outfall were first reported in 1975, and local officials entered into a voluntary remediation program run by the state in 2000.

From Washington Post • May 25, 2022

Coal tar is used for dyestuffs, drugs, synthetic plastics, wood preservatives.

From Time Magazine Archive

Coal tar is to be classed among lacquers.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 821, September 26, 1891 by Various