creosote en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈkɹiːəˌsəʉt/ (Australia)
- /ˈkɹiːəˌsɐʉt/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈkɹiəˌsoʊt/ (Canada, General-American)
- /ˈkɹiːəˌsəʊt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From German Kreosot in the 1830s, coined in 1832 by German natural philosopher Carl Ludwig, Baron Reichenbach, from Ancient Greek κρέας (kréas, “flesh”) + σωτήρ (sōtḗr, “preserver”) for its use as an antiseptic and meat-preservative. The creosote bush was named after its scent. By surface analysis, containing creo-.
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) A pale yellow oily liquid, containing phenols and similar compounds, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood tar, once used medicinally.
- (countable, uncountable) A similar brown liquid obtained from coal tar used as a wood preservative.
-
(countable) The creosote bush.
"King Clone," a creosote plant (Larrea tridentata) found in southwest California, was estimated in February 1980 by Prof. Frank C. Vasek to be 11,700 years old.
1997, Norris McWhirter, The Guinness Book of World Records 1997, page 77:On Shaw Butte, as elsewhere in the Phoenix area, creosotes are abundant, producing a plethora of small yellow flowers in late March and April.
1994, John Alcock, Sonoran Desert Summer, page 88:
- (countable, uncountable) A flammable black porous brittle glassy byproduct of wood burning, typically formed inside chimneys.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| creosotes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
cresol · creosol · creosotelike
Translations (23)
nn kreosot (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · fr créosote (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · ga créasóid (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · hu kreozot (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · tr kreozot (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · nb kreosot (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · el κρεόζωτο (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · ru креозо́т (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · uk креозо́т (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · ca creosota (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · es creosota (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · cy creosot (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · tr katran ruhu (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · de Kreosot (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · pl kreozot (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · ka კრეოზოტი (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · sa क्रव्यप (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · fi kreosootti (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · cmn 木餾油 /木馏油 (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · tl kreyosota (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · io kreozoto (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · ota قطران روحی (liquid obtained from wood or tar) · eo kreozoto (liquid obtained from wood or tar)