creosote means A pale yellow oily liquid, containing phenols and similar compounds, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood tar, once used medicinally.
creosote is pronounced /ˈkɹiːəˌsəʊt/.
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-.
noun
- A pale yellow oily liquid, containing phenols and similar compounds, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood tar, once used medicinally.
- A similar brown liquid obtained from coal tar used as a wood preservative.
- The creosote bush.e.g.“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:
- A flammable black porous brittle glassy byproduct of wood burning, typically formed inside chimneys.
verb
- To apply creosote.e.g.“As the fence is exposed he will creosote it for protection.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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