Definition

1. Noun:
   • A flammable gaseous fuel: A mixture of gases, primarily hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide, produced by the destructive distillation of bituminous coal. It was historically used for heating, lighting, and cooking before the widespread adoption of natural gas.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The streetlamps in Victorian London were often illuminated by coal gas.
  • Before natural gas pipelines, many homes used coal gas for heating and cooking.
  • The production of coal gas also yields useful byproducts like coke and coal tar.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Industrial Context: The term is primarily used in historical, industrial, or energy contexts to describe a specific manufactured fuel source of the 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries.
  • The transition from coal gas to natural gas was a major infrastructure project for many cities.

Variants and Related Words

• Coal gasification (n): An industrial process for producing synthetic gas from coal, which is a broader modern application of the chemical principles behind creating coal gas.
  • Modern coal gasification plants aim to create cleaner synthetic fuels.
• Town gas (n): A synonym for coal gas, commonly used in British English.
  • Town gas was the primary fuel for domestic use in the UK for over a century.

Synonyms

• Town gas: (Specifically in British English usage)
• Manufactured gas: A more general term that can include gas made from coal, oil, or other feedstocks.

Related Phrases/Compounds

• Coal gas works (n): The industrial plant where coal is distilled to produce coal gas.
  • The old coal gas works has been converted into a residential development.

Noun

1. gaseous mixture produced by distillation of bituminous coal and used for heating and lighting