Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHAR'COAL, n. [char and coal. See Char.]

Coal made by charring wood; the remains of wood burnt under turf, and from which all watery and other volatile matter has been expelled by heat. It makes a strong heat, and is used in furnaces, forges, private families, &c. It is black, brittle, light and inodorous, and not being decomposable by water or air, will endure for ages without alteration.