charcoal

IPA/ˈtʃɑːkəʊl/
KK[tʃˈɑrkˌol]IPA/ˈtʃɑːrkəʊl/

charcoal — noun

1. a black, lightweight material produced by burning wood or other plant matter in

1.nounB1
Definition

a black, lightweight material produced by burning wood or other plant matter in a container with very little air, used mainly as a fuel for cooking and for heating, or pressed into sticks for drawing and sketching

Example

Amara lit the charcoal before the guests arrived for the barbecue.

The artist sketched the model's face with a soft stick of charcoal on thick paper.

charcoal stick / soft charcoal for drawing

Common collocations
  • light charcoal
  • burn charcoal
  • charcoal grill
  • charcoal stick
  • compressed charcoal
  • piece of charcoal
  • lump of charcoal
  • bag of charcoal
Synonyms
  • coal

    a natural fossil fuel mined from the ground; heavier and burns longer than charcoal

  • briquette

    a compressed block of charcoal dust, often used in barbecues

  • carbon

    the chemical element that charcoal is mostly made of; a broader scientific term

Usage Note

Charcoal as a fuel is not the same as coal. Coal is a fossil fuel dug from the ground, while charcoal is made by heating wood in a low-oxygen environment. The two words are not interchangeable.

Common Mistakes

The power plant burns charcoal to make electricity.
The power plant burns coal to make electricity.
Power plants burn coal (a fossil fuel), not charcoal (which is mostly used for cooking and art).

2. a dark grey colour that looks like the ash-grey tone of burned wood

2.nounB1
Definition

a dark grey colour that looks like the ash-grey tone of burned wood

Example

Elena chose a charcoal grey suit for her job interview at the law firm downtown.

charcoal grey as colour modifier for clothing

The living room walls were painted warm charcoal to match the white sofa and floor.

Common collocations
  • charcoal grey
  • charcoal colour
  • charcoal suit
  • charcoal paint
  • charcoal walls
  • charcoal fabric
Synonyms
  • slate

    a slightly bluer dark grey

  • ash

    a paler, dustier grey

  • dark grey

    a plainer, less specific term for the same range

Antonyms
  • white

    the opposite end of the brightness scale

Usage Note

Often used as a modifier before a noun — 'charcoal suit', 'charcoal paint', 'charcoal fabric'. The full form 'charcoal grey' is also very common.

3. a picture or artwork created using sticks of compressed charcoal on paper, usual

3.nounB2
Definition

a picture or artwork created using sticks of compressed charcoal on paper, usually in shades of black and grey

Example

Vikram hung his charcoal portrait of the old fisherman above the living room fireplace.

The exhibition showed several charcoal drawings of busy street scenes from Seoul and Tokyo.

charcoal drawing of [subject]

Common collocations
  • charcoal portrait
  • charcoal sketch
  • charcoal drawing
  • charcoal on paper
  • fixative for charcoal
Synonyms
  • sketch

    a broader term; a sketch can be in any medium, not just charcoal

  • drawing

    the most general term; all charcoal works are drawings, but not all drawings are charcoal

charcoal — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Coal, briquette, and charcoal are all carbon-based solid fuels, but they differ in origin and use. Coal is a natural fossil fuel mined from the ground; it burns longer and hotter than charcoal and is used in power plants and industry. Briquettes are manufactured blocks made from compressed charcoal dust or coal dust, often sold for home barbecues — they burn more evenly than lump charcoal but can contain additives. Coke is produced by heating coal in the absence of air (similar to how charcoal is made from wood) and is used mainly in industrial metal smelting. Of the three, charcoal is the most common choice for home cooking because it lights easily, produces less smoke than coal, and gives food a distinctive smoky flavour. For example: 'We bought a bag of charcoal for the weekend barbecue' sounds natural, while 'We bought a bag of coal for the weekend barbecue' would confuse most listeners.

coal ↗briquette ↗coke ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • charcoal grill
  • charcoal drawing
  • charcoal sketch
  • charcoal portrait
  • charcoal stick
  • charcoal filter
  • charcoal grey
  • charcoal suit
  • charcoal colour
  • charcoal briquette

Phrases

  • piece of charcoal
  • lump of charcoal
  • bag of charcoal
  • box of charcoal
  • block of charcoal
  • stick of charcoal

Prepositions

  • over charcoal
  • on charcoal
  • with charcoal
  • of charcoal
  • made from charcoal

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

The word 'charcoal' comes from Middle English 'charcole', a combination of 'char' (meaning to turn into charcoal by burning) and 'cole' (the older word for coal). The process of making charcoal by slowly burning wood in a pit or kiln dates back to prehistoric times and was known to many ancient civilisations around the world.