pine tar
- noun
- /paɪn tɑr/
:
brea de pino
- The air was misty with the mingling scents of water, reeds, and the pine tar that the fishers used to pitch the seams of their light craft.
Examples
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Baseball players often use pine tar on their bats to ensure a better grip during the game.
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The fisherman applied pine tar to the seams of his boat to keep it waterproof.
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For centuries, sailors have relied on pine tar to protect their ropes and wooden ships from water damage.
Synonyms
65
4.1
A thick dark sticky substance used to make roads and roofs waterproof
1
5.2
A thick dark sticky liquid made by heating coal and used in medicines and dyes
A dark sticky liquid made by heating wood that protects things from water
A thick black sticky material made from oil and rocks used to make roofs waterproof and stop rust
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a dark, sticky substance produced from pine' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'pine' (the tree/source) with 'tar' (a viscous, sticky substance). This noun–noun compound follows regular English composition and similar patterns exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Pine tar comes from heating pine wood until a dark, sticky liquid called tar came out. People put that sticky substance on wooden ships and ropes to 'waterproof' them, rubbed it on bats for a better grip, or used it in ointments to 'soothe' skin, so today pine tar means that dark, sticky protective substance.