creosote
/ˈkɹiəˌsoʊt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.43 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A pale yellow oily liquid, containing phenols and similar compounds, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood tar, once used medicinally.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A similar brown liquid obtained from coal tar used as a wood preservative.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "On Shaw Butte, as elsewhere in the Phoenix area, creosotes are abundant, producing a plethora of small yellow flowers in late March and April."
- ""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."
- "As the fence is exposed he will creosote it for protection."
- "Agnes was leaning over the creosoted garden gate …"
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-.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: Kreosot, κρέας
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɹiəˌsoʊt/
- British English: /ˈkɹiːəˌsəʊt/