wood coal
- noun
- /wʊd koʊl/
- Specialized
:
lignito
- Compared to bituminous coal, wood coal produces less energy when burned.
Examples
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Geologists found large deposits of wood coal near the river delta.
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The factory uses wood coal for energy.
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Some power plants use wood coal as a fuel source due to its abundance in certain regions.
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Many people prefer wood coal over traditional coal.
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In rural areas, many families still use wood coal for heating their homes during the winter months.
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The wood coal mined from the nearby hills is known for its high energy content and low emissions.
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Some industries prefer wood coal due to its ability to burn at high temperatures while producing less ash.
Synonyms
1
8.7
A soft brown coal used for fuel that gives less heat than harder coal
1
5.8
A soft brown material people burn to make heat or electricity
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'wood coal' is directly interpretable as coal associated with or derived from wood (i.e., woody coal/lignite), so a B1 learner who knows 'wood' and 'coal' can infer the basic meaning. The precise geological classification is technical, but the noun–noun compositional pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, making the phrase transparent.
Etymology
Wood coal can also mean a soft, brown coal that still looks more like old wood than hard coal. The name links the parts 'wood' and 'coal': buried trees slowly pressed into rock make a wood-like coal that gives less heat when burned.