a hard black or dark-brown rock that is dug from the ground and burned as fuel to produce heat or electricity
The power plant burns coal to generate electricity.
Miners worked deep underground to extract coal.
✦ Old English col, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kool and German Kohle.
a small lump or glowing piece of coal in a fire
Red-hot coals crackled in the barbecue pit.
She roasted marshmallows over the glowing coals.
to supply a vehicle, furnace, or engine with coal, or to take on a supply of coal
The steamship stopped in port to coal before crossing the Atlantic.
Workers coaled the old locomotive for the tourist ride.
a group of people, political parties, organizations, or countries that temporarily join together for a shared goal, especially in politics or social action
Several small parties formed a coalition to gain a majority in parliament.
Environmental groups joined a coalition to save the river from pollution.
✦ Borrowed into English in the early 17th century from Latin ‘coalitio’ meaning ‘a growing together’, from ‘coalescere’ ‘to unite’.
the act or process of uniting separate parts, groups, or substances into one
The coalition of the two companies created the largest bakery in town.
After years of conflict, the tribes reached coalition through a peace treaty.
✦ Same Latin root as the countable sense: Latin ‘coalitio’, from ‘co-’ ‘together’ + ‘alescere’ ‘to grow’.
a black, porous form of carbon made by heating wood or other organic matter without air, used as fuel, in barbecues, filters, medicine, and other applications
We grilled the chicken over glowing charcoal in the backyard.
The pharmacy sells capsules filled with activated charcoal to ease stomach discomfort.
✦ Middle English from Old French ‘charcole’, from ‘char’ (to burn) + ‘cole’ (coal).
