soot

[soo t, soot]

See more synonyms for soot on Thesaurus.com

noun

a black, carbonaceous substance produced during incomplete combustion of coal, wood, oil, etc., rising in fine particles and adhering to the sides of the chimney or pipe conveying the smoke: also conveyed in the atmosphere to other locations.

verb (used with object)

to mark, cover, or treat with soot.

Origin of soot

before 900; Middle English; Old English sōt; cognate with Old Norse sōt

Related formssoot·less, adjectivesoot·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for soot

residue, grit, smoke, sediment, gunk, ash, grime, smudge, ashes, smut

Examples from the Web for soot

Contemporary Examples of soot

There is also soot staining the tiles, suggesting the bodies were burned or there had been a small blast.
Who Is Behind Gaza's Mass Execution?
Jesse Rosenfeld
August 1, 2014
Air pollution gets worse during drought; in California the problem is soot, and in Texas it was ozone.
America’s Axis of Drought
Kate Galbraith
March 4, 2014
Some computer models, he said, indicate that about half of the global warming in the Arctic is driven by methane and soot.
The End of the Arctic? Ocean Could be Ice Free by 2015
Mark Hertsgaard
December 13, 2013
If you look inside, you'll find walls black with soot, smoke to make you cough, and a few women getting lunch ready.
India’s Most Dangerous Meal: The Poisoned-Lunch Disaster
Dilip D’Souza
July 18, 2013
Soot, methane, ozone, and HFCs are a lot less sexy than flying to Rio and making bold promises.
Hillary Clinton’s Plan to Get Serious About Global Warming
David G. Victor, Charles F. Kennel, Veerabhadran Ramanathan
June 21, 2012

Historical Examples of soot

The shop was built of rough boards, and the inside was blackened with soot.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
The button of soot has vanished into the limbo of superseded inventions.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
Nothing, however, appeared to have been touched or disturbed, and there was no soot on the floor.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
The gas had left what appeared to be like a daub of soot on the ceiling.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
And I rubs my hand on the wall where he got over, and there was soot on it, and no mistake.
A Tangled Tale
Lewis Carroll

British Dictionary definitions for soot

soot

noun

finely divided carbon deposited from flames during the incomplete combustion of organic substances such as coal

verb

(tr) to cover with soot

Word Origin for soot

Old English sōt; related to Old Norse, Middle Low German sōt, Lithuanian sódis, Old Slavonic sažda, Old Irish sūide

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

Word Origin and History for soot

Old English sot "soot," from Proto-Germanic *sotam "soot" (cf. Old Norse sot, Old Dutch soet, North Frisian sutt), literally "what settles," from PIE *sod-o- (cf. Old Church Slavonic sažda, Lithuanian suodžiai, Old Irish suide, Breton huzel "soot"), suffixed form of root *sed- (1) "to sit" (see sedentary).

soot in Science

soot

[sut]

A black, powdery substance that consists mainly of carbon and is formed through the incomplete combustion of wood, coal, diesel oil, or other materials. Because it absorbs energy from sunlight rather than reflecting it, soot is believed to be a cause of global warming, especially when it settles on snow and ice, reducing their reflectivity. Soot particles in the air are a contributing factor in respiratory diseases.