pine tar

noun

a very viscid, blackish-brown liquid having an odor resembling that of turpentine, obtained by the destructive distillation of pine wood, used in paints, roofing, soaps, and, medicinally, for skin infections.

Nearby words

pine needle, pine nut, pine siskin, pine snake, pine straw, pine tar, pine tree shilling, pine tree state, pine warbler, pineal, pineal apparatus

Origin of pine tar

First recorded in 1875–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for pine tar

pine tar

noun

a brown or black semisolid or viscous substance, produced by the destructive distillation of pine wood, used in roofing compositions, paints, medicines, etc

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

Medicine definitions for pine tar

pine tar

[ pīn ]

n.

A viscous or semisolid brown-to-black substance produced by distillation of pine wood and used as an expectorant and antiseptic.