pine tar

American  

noun

1. 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.

---

pine tar British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of pine tar

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pine tar

On paper, the one thing he has going for him is a nickname so retro that it’s practically covered in pine tar and has transformed an otherwise ordinary prospect into an unlikely cult hero.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Pike perch tartare from Lake Oulujärvi rests on malt bread with capers and dill oil and a whisper of pine tar.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

And yet the visual — him in a Red Sox uniform, his signature pine tar stain above the No. 2 on his back — remains jarring.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2023

Vandal places a weighted bat, pine tar rag and rosin bag in the on-deck circle for Dodgers hitters at the beginning of each inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2021

And there was a kid stepping up to the plate, swinging his bat low, the pine tar sticky on his palms.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt