creosote
pronunciation
How to pronounce creosote in British English:
UK [ˈkri:əsəʊt]
How to pronounce creosote in American English:
US [ˈkriəsoʊt]
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- Noun:
- a colorless or yellowish oily liquid obtained by distillation of wood tar; used as an antiseptic
- a dark oily liquid obtained by distillation of coal tar; used as a preservative for wood
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- Verb:
- treat with creosote
Word Origin
- creosote
- creosote: [19] The term creosote was coined as German kreosot in the early 1830s. Of creosote’s various properties, the one perhaps most valued in the early days after its discovery was that of being antiseptic. Hence the name kreosot, which was intended to mean ‘flesh-preserver’. The first element, kreo-, is a derivative of Greek kréas ‘flesh’; this also produced English pancreas, and is a descendant of an Indo-European base which was also the source of English crude, cruel, and raw. The second comes from Greek sōtér ‘saviour, preserver’, a derivative of Greek sōs.=> crude, cruel, pancreas, raw
- creosote (n.)
- 1835, from German Kreosot, coined 1832 by its discoverer, German-born natural philosopher Carl Ludwig, Baron Reichenbach (1788-1869), from Greek kreo-, comb. form of kreas "flesh" (see raw) + soter "preserver," from soizein "save, preserve." So called because it was used as an antiseptic.
Example
- 1. Treated with paint , stains , creosote or other .
- 2. To treat or paint with creosote .
- 3. Shingles are often dipped in creosote .
- 4. His first home was a shack made of wooden railway sleepers , soaked in creosote to keep the termites out .
- 5. It will last a long time if you creosote it every now and then .