French word

charbon

Pronunciation

IPA/ʃaʁbɔ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncoal

Example

Le charbon chauffe la chaudière en hiver.

Coal heats the boiler in winter.

Illustration for charbon (coal)

More examples

Ils ont préparé le barbecue avec des briquettes de charbon.

They prepared the barbecue with charcoal briquettes.

Core concept

A black, carbon-rich fuel that burns to release heat, usually from underground coal seams but sometimes made by charring wood.

Common phrases

  • charbon de bois

    wood charcoal

  • briquettes de charbon

    charcoal briquettes

  • du charbon

    coal

Similar words

bois: Wood burned as fuel in logs or chips for heating, fires, and barbecues.
charbon de bois: Black solid fuel made by slowly heating wood, used for barbecues and cooking over coals.
bûche: A log or cut piece of wood burned in a fireplace or wood stove.
gaz: A gaseous fuel widely used for cooking, heating, and hot water.

Definition in French

Substance riche en carbone, noire et inflammable, désignant principalement le charbon minéral et, selon le contexte, le charbon de bois.

Word origin

French charbon developed from Old French charbon, from Latin carbo, carbonis, meaning coal or charcoal.

Usage tips

  • Charbon is masculine, so standard phrases use le charbon and du charbon.

Other meanings

  • charcoalnoun

Word lists with this word