charcoal

Everyday

1. Charcoal is a black, light material made by burning wood slowly with very little air; it burns hot and is used as fuel for barbecues. tree →
2. A charcoal is a stick of this material used for drawing, or a drawing made with it. tree →
3. Charcoal, or charcoal grey, is a very dark grey colour. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life charcoal is barbecue fuel; in art lessons it makes soft dark lines that smudge; in science it is an example of carbon and of a chemical change (wood heated without enough oxygen). Safety: hot charcoal stays hot for hours, and burning charcoal indoors gives off carbon monoxide, a deadly gas. Phrases: charcoal briquettes, charcoal drawing, charcoal grey, activated charcoal.

Examples

• Dad lit the charcoal for the barbecue. tree →
• We drew the bowl of fruit with charcoal in art class. tree →
• The charcoal smudged when I touched it with my finger. tree →
• Never bring a charcoal grill into a tent or a house. tree →
• Charcoal is mostly carbon. tree →
• She wore a charcoal grey coat. tree →
• The coals were glowing red under a layer of white ash. tree →
• Activated charcoal is used in some water filters. tree →

Note

Usually uncountable (some charcoal, a bag of charcoal); countable only for drawing sticks or drawings (two charcoals). Charcoal is not the same as coal: coal is dug out of the ground, charcoal is made from wood. Trap: charcoal can look cold and grey but still be very hot inside.