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definitions

culm

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

noun

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

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)

culm

2
[kuhlm]

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

Related Words for culm

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

Examples from the Web for culm

Historical Examples of culm

  • 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

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

    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

British Dictionary definitions for culm

culm

1

noun mining

coal-mine waste
inferior anthracite

Word Origin for culm

C14: probably related to coal

culm

2

noun

the hollow jointed stem of a grass or sedge

Word Origin for culm

C17: from Latin culmus stalk; see haulm

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
culm in Science

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.