culm

[ kuhlm ]

/ kʌlm /

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noun

coal dust; slack.

anthracite, especially of inferior grade.

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Origin of culm

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

Words nearby culm

cullis, Cullman, Culloden, Culloden Moor, cully, culm, culmicolous, culmiferous, culminant, culminate, culminating

Other definitions for culm (2 of 2)

culm²

[ 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

1650–60; <Latin culmus stalk; akin to calamus, haulm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use culm in a sentence

Bamboo stems, or culms, give the tarantula ready-made burrows and nests.
This newfound tarantula is the first known to make its home in bamboo|Becki Robins|March 7, 2022|Science News
This spider therefore relies on other animals or natural forces to create an entry hole in the culm.
Newfound ‘bambootula’ spider lives inside bamboo stems|Becki Robins|March 4, 2022|Science News For Students
Once inside the culm, these spiders build a “retreat tube,” Chomphuphuang says.
Newfound ‘bambootula’ spider lives inside bamboo stems|Becki Robins|March 4, 2022|Science News For Students
The men—the lime-burners—were not long gone, and the culm was still burning.
My New Curate|P.A. Sheehan

Anthracite or Culm is a kind of coal containing 90 per cent.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
The sides and top are covered with culm or slack, and the heap is kindled from certain openings towards the circumference.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
The Culm used to be a good river at Culmstock, tormented already by a factory, but not strangled as yet by a railroad.
Crocker's Hole|R. D. Blackmore
How it is now the present writer does not know, and is afraid to ask, having heard of a vile "Culm Valley Line."
Crocker's Hole|R. D. Blackmore

British Dictionary definitions for culm (1 of 3)

culm¹

/ (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)

culm²

/ (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

Scientific definitions for culm

culm

[ kŭlm ]

The stem of a grass or similar plant.

culm

Origin of culm

Words nearby culm

Other definitions for culm (2 of 2)

Origin of culm

Words related to culm

How to use culm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for culm (1 of 3)

Word Origin for culm

British Dictionary definitions for culm (2 of 3)

Word Origin for culm

British Dictionary definitions for culm (3 of 3)

Culm Measures

Word Origin for Culm

Scientific definitions for culm