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culm1

[kuhlm]
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noun
  1. coal dust; slack.
  2. anthracite, especially of inferior grade.
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Origin of culm1

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

culm2

[kuhlm]
noun
  1. a stem or stalk, especially the jointed and usually hollow stem of grasses.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to grow or develop into a culm.
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Origin of culm2

1650–60; < Latin culmus stalk; akin to calamus, haulm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for culm

Historical Examples

  • On such a day came Pike to the bank of Culm, with a loudly beating heart.

    Crocker's Hole

    R. D. Blackmore

  • The men—the lime-burners—were not long gone, and the culm was still burning.

    My New Curate

    P.A. Sheehan

  • As for having him at Culm Rock, it was too preposterous a thought to be entertained for a moment.

    Culm Rock

    Glance Gaylord

  • Uncle Richard was getting to be more of a mystery to him than Culm Rock had been.

    Culm Rock

    Glance Gaylord

  • You'll have a fine run down to Culm, and you must send me a line back by the skipper.

    Culm Rock

    Glance Gaylord

British Dictionary definitions for culm

culm1

noun mining
  1. coal-mine waste
  2. inferior anthracite
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Word Origin

C14: probably related to coal

culm2

noun
  1. the hollow jointed stem of a grass or sedge
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Word Origin

C17: from Latin culmus stalk; see haulm

Culm

Culm Measures

noun
  1. a formation consisting mainly of shales and sandstone deposited during the Carboniferous period in parts of Europe
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Word Origin

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
culm in Science

culm

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