Dictionary.com
definitions

culm

1
[ kuhlm ]
/ kʌlm /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR culm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

coal dust; slack.
anthracite, especially of inferior grade.

RELATED WORDS

slack, smut, ember, char, stoke, carbon, fuel, cinder, spark, charcoal, scoria, ash, anthracite

Nearby words

  1. cullis,
  2. cullman,
  3. culloden,
  4. culloden moor,
  5. cully,
  6. culmen,
  7. culmicolous,
  8. culmiferous,
  9. culminant,
  10. culminate

Origin of culm

1
1300–50; Middle English colme, probably equivalent to col coal + -m suffix of uncertain meaning (compare -m in Old English fæthm fathom, wæstm growth)

Definition for culm (2 of 2)

culm

2
[ kuhlm ]
/ kʌlm /

noun

a stem or stalk, especially the jointed and usually hollow stem of grasses.

verb (used without object)

to grow or develop into a culm.

Origin of culm

2
1650–60; < Latin culmus stalk; akin to calamus, haulm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for culm

British Dictionary definitions for culm (1 of 3)

culm

1
/ (kʌlm) /

noun mining

coal-mine waste
inferior anthracite

Word Origin for culm

C14: probably related to coal

British Dictionary definitions for culm (2 of 3)

culm

2
/ (kʌlm) /

noun

the hollow jointed stem of a grass or sedge

Word Origin for culm

C17: from Latin culmus stalk; see haulm

British Dictionary definitions for culm (3 of 3)

Culm

Culm Measures

noun

a formation consisting mainly of shales and sandstone deposited during the Carboniferous period in parts of Europe

Word Origin for Culm

C19: from culm 1
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

Science definitions for culm

culm

[ kŭlm ]

The stem of a grass or similar plant.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.