coal tar: Meaning and Definition of

coal' tar"

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a thick, black, viscid liquid formed during the distillation of coal, that upon further distillation yields compounds, as benzene, anthracene, and phenol, from which are derived a large number of dyes, drugs, and other synthetic compounds, and that yields a final residuumwhich is used chiefly in making pavements.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.