Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

charcoal

/ˈtʃɑː.kəʊl/ noun

In Latin: carbō Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about charcoal at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

impure carbon obtained by destructive distillation of wood or other organic matter, that is, heating it in the absence of oxygen.
A stick of black carbon material used for drawing.
A drawing made with charcoal.

adjective

Of a dark gray colour.
Made of charcoal.

verb

To draw with charcoal.
To cook over charcoal.

Origin

From Middle English charcole, from charren (“to change, turn”) + cole (“coal”), from Old English cierran (“to change, turn”) + col (“coal”). By surface analysis, char (Etymology 3 [verb]) + coal.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word