asphalt en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈæsfɔlt/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈæʃfɔlt/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈæʃfɛlt/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈæsfɒlt/ (UK)
- /ˈæʃfɔlt/ (US)
- (US) audio
- /ˈæsfɑlt/ (Canada)
- /ˈæsfɑlt/ (US)
- /ˈæsfəlt/ (UK)
- /ˈæʃfɑlt/ (Canada)
- /ˈæsfɔlt/ (US)
- /ˈæsfælt/ (UK)
- /ˈæsfɔːlt/ (UK)
- /ˈæʃ-/ (UK)
Etymology
From Late Latin asphaltum, from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος (ásphaltos, “asphalt, bitumen”). Displaced native Old English eorþtyrewa (literally, "earth-tar").
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A sticky, black to brown and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid, composed almost entirely of bitumen with small mineral particles, that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits.
The mining of asphalt was big business in this area in the early twentieth century.
Felltham wrote in the beginning of the 17th century of the “Bitumated walls of Babylon;” the source of its supply, the fountains of Is, on a tributary of the Euphrates, still yields asphalt.
1914, Thomas Hugh Boorman, Asphalts, their sources and utilizations, →OCLC, page 9:
-
(abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable) Ellipsis of asphalt concrete, a hard ground covering used for roads and walkways.
alt of asphalt concrete
They tracked her around the perimeter of the convenience store parking lot, but the trail ended at the edge of the asphalt.
2026 July 25, Nicholas Muhoro, “The Last Call of Jo-Anne Pedersen, the Girl Who Vanished From a Payphone”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026:89.2 million tons of RAP are used annually in new asphalt pavement construction in the United States.
(Can we date this quote?), “RAP Benefits for Pavement Owners”, in National Asphalt Pavement Association, archived from the original on 21 Mar 2025, page 1:Between the grey mist of rainclouds the sun suddenly appeared to mottle the wet asphalt of Marble Arch in patches of silver and ebony.
1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XXII, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 214:Please hose off the asphalt near the top of the driveway if the trucks get lots of mud on it.
Near-synonyms: tarmac, tarmacadam, blacktop, bitumen
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| asphalte | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| asphalts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
asphaltene · Syrian asphalt · deasphalt · glasphalt · asphalt concrete · nonasphalt · air-blown asphalt · asphalt paper · asphaltlike · asphalter · asphalt emulsion · asphalt jungle · asphalt shingle · asphalt road · asphaltic · asphaltite
Synonyms
blacktop · bitumen · tarmacadam · bitumen · tarmac
Translations (139)
vi nhựa đường (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · fr asphalte (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · mn асфальт (asphalt concrete) · it bitume (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · nl asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · de Asphalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · nah chiapopotl (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ota آسفالت (asphalt concrete) · scn asfartu (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · io asfalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · sh а̀сфалт (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · th แอสฟัลต์ (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · kn ಕಲ್ಲರಗು (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · lt asfaltas (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · hy ասֆալտ (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · fo asfalt (asphalt concrete) · es chapopote (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · kk асфальт (asphalt concrete) · nb asfalt (asphalt concrete) · cmn 瀝青 /沥青 (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ar أَسْفَلْت (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · hy ասֆալտ (asphalt concrete) · id aspal (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · la asphaltum (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ko 역청 (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ko 아스팔트 (asphalt concrete) · ru асфа́льт (asphalt concrete) · ko 력청 (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · da asfalt (asphalt concrete) · nn asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · sh а̀сфалт (asphalt concrete) · sk asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · fa-ira آسْفالْت (asphalt concrete) · is asfalt (asphalt concrete) · cmn 瀝青混凝土 /沥青混凝土 (asphalt concrete) · tt асфальт (asphalt concrete) · hi डामर (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · cs asfalt (asphalt concrete) · ar أَسْفَلْت (asphalt concrete) · ota آسفالت (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · vi nhựa đường (asphalt concrete) · ga asfalt (asphalt concrete) · fi bitumi (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · tl aspalto (asphalt concrete) · es chapapote (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ary زفت (asphalt concrete) · tl aspalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · lt asfaltas (asphalt concrete) · eo asfalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · bn আস্ফাল্ট (asphalt concrete) · it asfalto (asphalt concrete) · sk asfalt (asphalt concrete) · it asfalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · be асва́льт (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · sh àsfalt (asphalt concrete) · es neme (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · fr asphalte (asphalt concrete) · uz asfalt (asphalt concrete) · nb asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · hu aszfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · mr डांबर (asphalt concrete) · lv asfalts (asphalt concrete) · pt asfalto (asphalt concrete) · cs asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · sh àsfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · pl asfalt (asphalt concrete) · uk асфа́льт (asphalt concrete) · ka ასფალტი (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · nl asfalt (asphalt concrete) · el άσφαλτος (asphalt concrete) · is malbik (asphalt concrete) · ca asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · be асфа́льт (asphalt concrete) · sv asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · eu asfalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · et asfalt (asphalt concrete) · hi ऐस्फ़ाल्ट (asphalt concrete) · ga asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · az asfalt (asphalt concrete) · fa آسْفالْت (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · tk asfalt (asphalt concrete) · ckb قیرتاو (asphalt concrete) · th ยางมะตอย (asphalt concrete) · es garujo bituminoso (asphalt concrete) · yue 蠟青 /蜡青 (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ur اَسْفالْٹ (asphalt concrete) · ja アスファルト (asphalt concrete) · ps اسفالټ (asphalt concrete) · ro asfalt (asphalt concrete) · tg асфалт (asphalt concrete) · fi asfaltti (asphalt concrete) · sq asfalt (asphalt concrete) · ko 아스팔트 (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · cmn 柏油 (asphalt concrete) · scn asfartu (asphalt concrete) · ang eorþtyrewa (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · be асва́льт (asphalt concrete) · ar زِفْت (asphalt concrete) · ar زِفْت (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · et asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · kmr asfalt (asphalt concrete) · ka ასფალტი (asphalt concrete) · sv asfalt (asphalt concrete) · pl asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · da asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · sl asfalt (asphalt concrete) · es pisasfalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · pt asfalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · pon peip (asphalt concrete) · ang eorþteoru (asphalt concrete) · ro asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · hu aszfalt (asphalt concrete) · ja 瀝青 (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ru асфа́льт (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · el άσφαλτος (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · he אַסְפַלְט (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · bg асфа́лт (asphalt concrete) · tr asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · sl asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ota قطران (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · sq asfalt (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · mk асфалт (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · es hormigón asfáltico (asphalt concrete) · uk асфа́льт (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ru асфальтобето́н (asphalt concrete) · nn asfalt (asphalt concrete) · ky асфальт (asphalt concrete) · es asfalto (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · scn bitumi (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · mk асфалт (asphalt concrete) · lv asfalts (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · la bitūmen (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · grc ἄσφαλτος (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · de Asphalt (asphalt concrete) · he אַסְפַלְט (asphalt concrete) · tr asfalt (asphalt concrete) · be асфа́льт (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · bg асфа́лт (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid) · ja アスファルト (sticky, black and highly viscous liquid)