creosote

American  

[kree-uh-soht] / ˈkri əˌsoʊt /

noun

1. 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.

2. coal-tar creosote.

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verb (used with object)

creosoted, creosoting

1. to treat with creosote.

creosote British  

/ ˈkrɪəˌsəʊt, ˌkrɪəˈsɒtɪk /

noun

1. 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

2. Also called: coal-tar creosote.  a thick dark liquid mixture prepared from coal tar, containing phenols: used as a preservative for wood

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verb

1. to treat (wood) with creosote

creosote Scientific  

/ krē′ə-sōt′ /

1. A yellow or brown oily liquid obtained from coal tar and used as a wood preservative and disinfectant.

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• creosotic adjective
• uncreosoted adjective

Etymology

Origin of creosote

< German Kreosote (1832) < Greek kreo-, combining form of kréas flesh + sōtēr savior, preserver (in reference to its antiseptic properties)

Example Sentences

Members of the public lodged at least 25 formal complaints about a pungent smell, described as a mix of creosote and outdoor cleaning fluid.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

The wood preservative creosote, which has been associated with an increased risk of contracting cancer, was used for more than 80 years at the site until the 1980s.

From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2023

A total of 7,400 tons of creosote piles were removed and more than 30,000 tons of clean sandy gravel dumped to cap decades of pollutants.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2023

Oliver had so much creosote ground into his pants I had to throw them away.

From Slate • Apr. 29, 2023

I told him about the cinders hitting my back, the smell of hot creosote, and the huge roar as the train straddled the rails above me.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns