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creosote
[ kree-uh-soht ]
/ ˈkri əˌsoʊt /
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noun
an oily liquid having a burning taste and a penetrating odor, obtained by the distillation of coal and wood tar, used mainly as a preservative for wood and as an antiseptic.
verb (used with object), cre·o·sot·ed, cre·o·sot·ing.
to treat with creosote.
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Origin of creosote
<German Kreosote (1832) <Greek kreo-, combining form of kréas flesh + sōtēr savior, preserver (in reference to its antiseptic properties)
OTHER WORDS FROM creosote
cre·o·sot·ic [kree-uh-sot-ik], /ˌkri əˈsɒt ɪk/, adjectiveun·cre·o·sot·ed, adjectiveWords nearby creosote
creolize, creolized, Creon, creophagous, creosol, creosote, creosote bush, crepe, crepe de Chine, crepe hair, crepehanger
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use creosote in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for creosote
creosote
/ (ˈkrɪəˌsəʊt) /
noun
a colourless or pale yellow liquid mixture with a burning taste and penetrating odour distilled from wood tar, esp from beechwood, contains creosol and other phenols, and is used as an antiseptic
Also called: coal-tar creosote a thick dark liquid mixture prepared from coal tar, containing phenols: used as a preservative for wood
verb
to treat (wood) with creosote
Derived forms of creosote
creosotic (ˌkrɪəˈsɒtɪk), adjectiveWord Origin for creosote
C19: from Greek kreas flesh + sōtēr preserver, from sōzein to keep safe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for creosote
creosote
[ krē′ə-sōt′ ]
A yellow or brown oily liquid obtained from coal tar and used as a wood preservative and disinfectant.
A colorless to yellowish oily liquid containing phenols, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood tar, especially from the wood of a beech, and formerly used as an expectorant in treating chronic bronchitis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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