Advertisement
slack (n.2)"coal dust," mid-15c., sleck, of uncertain origin, probably related to Middle Dutch slacke, Middle Low German slecke "slag, small pieces left after coal is screened," perhaps related to slagge "splinter flying off metal when it is struck" (see slag (n.)).
Related entries & more Advertisement
collier (n.)
Related entries & more late 14c. (late 13c. as a surname), collere "charcoal maker and seller," agent noun from Middle English col (see coal). They were notorious for cheating their customers. Meaning "digger in a coal mine" is from 1590s. Sense of "coasting-vessel for hauling coal" is from 1620s.
lignite (n.)"imperfectly formed coal," 1808, from French, from Latin lignum "wood" (see ligni-). Brown coal that still shows traces of the wood it once was. Probably directly from Lithanthrax Lignius, name given to woody coal by Swedish chemist Johan Gottschalk Wallerius (1709-1785) in 1775.
Related entries & more Advertisement
mini (n.)
Related entries & more 1961, abbreviation of mini-car, a small car made by British Leyland (formerly British Motor Corp.). As an abbreviation of miniskirt, it is attested from 1966.
chariot (n.)
Related entries & more "ancient two-wheeled vehicle used in war, racing, and private life," mid-14c., from Old French charriot "wagon" (13c.), augmentative of char "car," from Late Latin carrum "chariot" (see car).
Advertisement