Coal vs Coals - What's the difference?
coal | coals |
(uncountable) A black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
(countable) A piece of coal used for burning. Note that in British English either of the following examples could be used, whereas the latter would be more common in American English.
(countable) A type of coal, such as bituminous, anthracite, or lignite, and grades and varieties thereof.
(countable) A glowing or charred piece of coal, wood, or other solid fuel.
Charcoal
To take on a supply of coal (usually of steam ships).
* 1890 , (Oscar Wilde), The Picture of Dorian Gray , ch. XVI:
To be converted to charcoal.
* 1957 , H.R. Schubert, History of the British Iron and Steel Industry , p. 18:
To burn to charcoal; to char.
* Francis Bacon
To mark or delineate with charcoal.
To supply with coal.
The glowing embers that result when wood is burned, and that can continue to release intense heat.(w)
*
*:When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped?; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs kneeling on the hearth and heaping kindling on the coals , and her pretty little Alsatian maid beside her, laying a log across the andirons.
English plurals Multiple pieces of coal.
(coal)
As nouns the difference between coal and coals
is that coal is a black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel while coals is the glowing embers that result when wood is burned, and that can continue to release intense heat.WpAs verbs the difference between coal and coals
is that coal is to take on a supply of coal (usually of steam ships) while coals is third-person singular of coal.coal
English
(wikipedia coal)Noun
(en-noun)- Put some coals on the fire.
- Put some coal on the fire.
- Just as the camp-fire died down to just coals , with no flames to burn the marshmallows, someone dumped a whole load of wood on, so I gave up and went to bed.
Hyponyms
* anthracite, bituminDerived terms
* bituminous coal, soft coal * brown coal * channel coal * coal ball * coal bed * coal black * coalboy * coal gas * coal hole * coal oil * coal tar * coal tit * coalmine, coal mine * coals to Newcastle * hard coal (see: anthracite) * white coalVerb
(en verb)- The light shook and splintered in the puddles. A red glare came from an outward-bound steamer that was coaling .
- As a result, particles of wood and twigs insufficiently coaled are frequently found at the bottom of such pits.
- Charcoal of roots, coaled into great pieces.
- (Camden)
- to coal a steamer