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bitumen
[ bahy-too-muhn, -tyoo-, bih-, bich-oo- ]
noun
- any of various natural substances, as asphalt, maltha, or gilsonite, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons.
- (formerly) an asphalt of Asia Minor used as cement and mortar.
bitumen
/ ˈbɪtjʊmɪn; bɪˈtjuːmɪnəs /
noun
- any of various viscous or solid impure mixtures of hydrocarbons that occur naturally in asphalt, tar, mineral waxes, etc: used as a road surfacing and roofing material
- the constituents of coal that can be extracted by an organic solvent
- any liquid suitable for coating aggregates
- the bitumen
- any road with a bitumen surface
- capital the road in the Northern Territory between Darwin and Alice Springs
- a transparent brown pigment or glaze made from asphalt
bitumen
/ bĭ-to̅o̅′mən /
- Any of various flammable mixtures of hydrocarbons and other substances found in asphalt and tar. Bitumens occur naturally or are produced from petroleum and coal.
Derived Forms
- bituminous, adjective
Other Words From
- bi·tu·mi·noid [bahy-, too, -m, uh, -noid, -, tyoo, -, bih-], adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of bitumen1
Word History and Origins
Origin of bitumen1
Example Sentences
The bricks in Mesopotamian ziggurats were set with bitumen from oil seeps, and people in China were drilling oil wells in the fourth century.
It would transport bitumen and liquefied natural gas drawn from the tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast, mainly in Texas.
A few years ago birds began dying after landing on these lakes and getting slathered in bitumen.
Many runways are asphaltic concrete—aggregate in a bitumen binder—which softens and melts under heat.
They pump their haul of diluted bitumen into tanker cars in the terminal's loading yard, thick with the smell of petroleum.
Felt covered with bitumen is an excellent substitute for asphalt, and is not liable to crack or squeeze out.
He speaks of circular craft, covered with skins and caulked with bitumen, and made on wooden frames.
The tops of these arches were covered with stones, rushes and bitumen, and plates of lead, to prevent leakage.
They brought before me in a cloud of bitumen and sulphur Duke Rauking, who, the sacrilegious wretch!
Asphalt, or Asphaltum, the most common variety of bitumen; also called mineral pitch.
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