- a black tar, produced by the distillation of bituminous coal, that can be further distilled to yield benzene, toluene, xylene, anthracene, phenol, etc
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈcoal ˌtar, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Chemistrya thick black liquid obtained from coal, used in making dyes and drugs.
coal′ tar′,
coal ′--tar′, adj.
- Chemistrya thick, black, viscid liquid formed during the distillation of coal, that upon further distillation yields compounds, as benzene, anthracene, and phenol, from which are derived a large number of dyes, drugs, and other synthetic compounds, and that yields a final residuum (coal′-tar pitch′,) which is used chiefly in making pavements.
- 1775–85
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
coal tar n
'coal tar' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
aniline dye
- benzol
- coal
- creosote
- cresol
- cyclopentadiene
- indene
- indole
- light
- naphtha
- tar
- thiophen
- toluene
- acridine
- anthracene
- benzene
- carbazole
- coal-tar creosote
- coumarone
- fuchsin
- Hansa yellow
- Indian yellow
- lake
- mauve
- mesitylene
- naphthacene
- naphthalene
- phenanthrene
- phenol
- picoline
- pitch
- pyrene
- quinoline
- thiophene
- xylene