Anthracite
/ˈænθrəˌkaɪt/noun
A hard, glossy form of coal containing a high percentage of carbon and burning with little smoke.
Did you know?The disease anthrax received its name from the same Greek root because its characteristic black skin lesions were compared to burning coal or charcoal.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἄνθραξ (ánthrax)
“Coal, charcoal, or a coal-like black substance”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀνθρακίτης (anthrakítēs)
“Coal-like; a coal-colored mineral or stone”
Late Antiquity
Latin
anthracites
“A coal-like mineral, borrowed from Greek”
17th Century
French
anthracite
“A hard, black variety of coal, adopted from Greek through scientific Latin”
17th Century
English
anthracite
“A hard, high-carbon coal that burns with little smoke”
Modern English
English
anthracite
“The hardest and most carbon-rich ordinary coal, valued for its clean-burning properties”
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