anthracite coal
- noun
- /ˈænθrəˌsaɪt koʊl/
:
carbón antracita
- Many homes in the region rely on anthracite coal for heating during the winter because it burns slowly and produces a lot of heat.
Examples
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A 38-year-old man, the son of Irish immigrants, descends into the cold Pennsylvania earth to mine amid a swirl of choking grime and dust, looking for valuable anthracite coal.
Blog text (22) -
The power plant uses anthracite coal due to its ability to generate high levels of energy with minimal smoke output.
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When I visited the town, I learned that anthracite coal is prized for its efficiency in producing heat without much pollution.
Synonyms
1
9.8
A hard, natural coal that burns slowly with little smoke and gives a lot of heat
A hard natural fuel that burns slowly and gives very strong heat
How Hard
- Specialized
1
6.6
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
8.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'anthracite' names a specific type of coal and combined with 'coal' simply denotes that subtype with the described properties. Subtype compounds like this are cross-linguistically common and follow regular English compounding rules, so a B1 learner who already knows both constituent words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Anthracite coal gets its name from an old word for 'coal' and points to its dark, hard, shiny look. People thought of anthracite as a shiny piece of coal that 'burns slowly' and makes little smoke, so today the name means the very hard coal that gives a lot of heat.