Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PIS'SA-SPHALT, n. [Gr. πισσασφαλτον; πισσα, turpentine, and ασφαλτος, asphalt; Sp. pisasfalto.]

Earth-pitch; a soft bitumen of the consistence of tar, black, and of a strong smell. It is inflammable, and intermediate between petroleum and asphalt, and appears to be a combination of naphtha and asphalt. It is now considered as a mere variety of petroleum. Deprived of its naphtha, asphalt remains.