charcoal
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having a very dark grey colour.
adj.of a dark grey colour; frequently used in the context of formal clothing or interior design.
Simple“He wore a charcoal suit to the wedding to look professional but not too formal.”
In context“The designer recommended charcoal upholstery for the sofa to provide a sophisticated contrast against the white gallery walls.”
Synonymsdark greysooty - 02 C2 Proficiency
v.to cook food over a fire made of charcoal.
v.to grill or sear food using charcoal as the primary heat source.
Simple“The restaurant is famous because they charcoal all their vegetables.”
In context“The chef prefers to charcoal the octopus over high heat to achieve a smoky exterior while maintaining a tender texture.”
“Because charcoal is made from burned organic material, it can often be dated using this method.”
“Scientists examined 266 charcoal fragments under a microscope, identifying the internal wood structure to determine which plant species had been burned.”
From Middle English charcole, from charren (“to change, turn”) + cole (“coal”), from Old English cierran (“to change, turn”) + col (“coal”); equivalent to char (Etymology 3 (verb)) + coal.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.