From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcharcoalchar‧coal /ˈtʃɑːkəʊl $ ˈtʃɑːrkoʊl/ noun 1 [uncountable]AV a black substance made of burnt wood that can be used as fuel cooking over a charcoal fire2 [countable, uncountable] a stick of this substance used for drawing a sketch drawn in charcoal3 (also charcoal grey) [uncountable] a dark grey colour —charcoal adjective
Examples from the Corpus
charcoal• charcoal drawings• To cook reserved rabbit loins, prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.• Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.• About 15 minutes before serving, preheat oven to 350 F.. Prepare an aromatic fire in a charcoal grill.• Add charcoal to the grill as needed.• Meats that come hot to the table from charcoal and gas grills have an affinity for certain types of wine.• No work on fuels other than charcoal appears to be in progress.• This charcoal cartoon was completed with a large stick of scene painter's charcoal and Maimeri triangular charcoal.Origin charcoal (1300-1400) Probably from char “to turn” ((11-17 centuries)) (from Old English cerran) + coal