Coal vs Mineral - What's the difference?
coal | mineral |
(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.
(geology) Any naturally occurring inorganic material that has a (more or less) definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-03
, author=Lee A. Groat
, title=Gemstones
, volume=100, issue=2, page=128
, magazine=(American Scientist)
Any inorganic material (as distinguished from animal or vegetable).
Any inorganic element that is essential to nutrition; a dietary mineral.
(British) Mineral water.
(Ireland, South Africa, informal) A soft drink, particularly a single serve bottle or can.
(obsolete) A mine or mineral .
* 1599 , , IV. i. 26:
of, related to, or containing minerals
As nouns the difference between coal and mineral
is that coal is a black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel while mineral is any naturally occurring inorganic material that has a (more or less) definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties.As a verb coal
is to take on a supply of coal (usually of steam ships).As an adjective mineral is
of, related to, or containing minerals.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
Anagrams
*mineral
English
(wikipedia mineral)Alternative forms
* minerall (obsolete)Noun
(en noun)citation, passage=Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade.}}
- O'er whom his very madness, like some ore / Among a mineral of metals base, / Shows itself pure;