Meaning
A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵwelH- Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Indo-European *ǵwl̥Hom Proto-Indo-European *ǵulHom Proto-Germanic *kulą Proto-West Germanic *kol Old English col Middle English col English coal From Middle English col, from Old English col, from Proto-West Germanic *kol, from Proto-Germanic *kulą (“coal”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵwelH- (“to burn, shine”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian kööl (“coal”), Saterland Frisian Koole (“coal”), West Frisian koal (“coal”), Cimbrian kholl (“coal”), Dutch kool (“coal; carbon”), German Kohle (“coal”), Limburgish Kǫe̩l (“coal”), Luxembourgish Kuel (“coal”), Vilamovian köła (“coal”), Yiddish קויל (koyl, “coal”), Danish kul (“coal”), Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish kol (“coal; carbon”), Jamtish kuł (“coal; carbon”), Norwegian Bokmål kol, kull (“coal”). Compare Irish and Scottish Gaelic gual (“coal”), Manx geayl (“coal”), Lithuanian žvi̇̀lti (“to glow, twinkle”), Persian زکال (zakâl), زکار (zekâr), زغال (zoġâl, “coal”), Tocharian B śoliye (“hearth”), Sanskrit ज्वल् (jval, “to burn, glow”), all from the same root.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 23 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-07-26OACHILT
- 2026-05-17LACDORT
- 2026-05-08CAOIGLY
- 2026-03-05OAURJCL
- 2026-03-03ABCEKLO
- 2026-01-21OAWNELC
- 2026-01-14OPALCBE
- 2025-12-09LRAOCBN
- 2025-09-04OACHLNRY
- 2025-07-19ABLDCIO
- 2025-06-11OUANKCL
- 2025-05-13OZALGCI
+11 earlier appearances in the archive.