charcoal
/ˈtʃɑːkəʊl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃɑːrkəʊl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈchär-ˌkōl/ (ame, mw)
charcoal — noun
1. a black, lightweight material produced by burning wood or other plant matter in
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
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
Many rural families still use charcoal for cooking and heating during the winter.
Hiroshi bought a box of compressed charcoal from the art supply shop near the station.
Charcoal is used in water filters to remove impurities and unpleasant smells from drinking water.
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. a dark grey colour that looks like the ash-grey tone of burned wood
a dark grey colour that looks like the ash-grey tone of burned wood
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.
Kwame wore a charcoal sweater and dark jeans to his cousin's dinner party.
Yuna's cat had beautiful charcoal fur that shimmered blue in the late afternoon sunlight.
- white
the opposite end of the brightness scale
用法筆記
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
a picture or artwork created using sticks of compressed charcoal on paper, usually in shades of black and grey
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]
Mei-Lin spent the afternoon working on a charcoal sketch of cherry blossoms in the park.
Charcoal drawings need a coat of fixative so the powder does not smudge on paper.
charcoal — verb
- charcoalpresent simple I / you / we / they
- charcoals3rd person singular
- charcoaling-ing form
- charcoaledpast simple
1. to cook food, especially pieces of meat or vegetables, on a wire grill set over
to cook food, especially pieces of meat or vegetables, on a wire grill set over burning charcoal
Omar charcoaled the chicken thighs until the skin was golden and the meat tender.
The beach restaurant charcoals fresh fish every evening on the outdoor grill near the tables.
past tense and present tense use of verb
We charcoaled the vegetables after soaking them in olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs.
Fatima charcoaled the steaks for her parents' anniversary dinner last Saturday evening.
文法句型
charcoal + object (food)
用法筆記
This verb is less common than phrases like 'cook over charcoal' or 'grill on a charcoal barbecue'. It appears most often in the past-tense or past-participle form ('charcoaled') in recipes and food writing.