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bitumen

 [bahy-too-muhn, -tyoo-, bi-, bich-oo-]   Origin

bi·tu·men

   [bahy-too-muhn, -tyoo-, bi-, bich-oo-]
noun
1.
any of various natural substances, as asphalt, maltha, or gilsonite, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons.
2.
(formerly) an asphalt of Asia Minor used as cement and mortar.
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Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English bithumen < Latin bitūmen

Related forms
bi·tu·mi·noid  [bahy-too-muh-noid, -tyoo-, bi-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Bitumen is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
bitumen (ˈbɪtjʊmɪn)
 
—n
1.  any of various viscous or solid impure mixtures of hydrocarbons that occur naturally in asphalt, tar, mineral waxes, etc: used as a road surfacing and roofing material
2.  the constituents of coal that can be extracted by an organic solvent
3.  any liquid suitable for coating aggregates
4.  the bitumen
 a.  informal (Austral), (NZ) any road with a bitumen surface
 b.  informal (Austral) (capital) the road in the Northern Territory between Darwin and Alice Springs
5.  a transparent brown pigment or glaze made from asphalt
 
[C15: from Latin bitūmen, perhaps of Celtic origin]
 
bituminous
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bitumen
mid-15c., from L. bitumen "asphalt," probably, via Oscan or Umbrian, from Celtic *betu- "birch, birch resin" (cf. Gaulish betulla "birch," used by Pliny for the tree supposedly the source of bitumen).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
bitumen   (bĭ-t'mən)  Pronunciation Key 
Any of various flammable mixtures of hydrocarbons and other substances found in asphalt and tar. Bitumens occur naturally or are produced from petroleum and coal.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Easton
Bible Dictionary

Bitumen definition


Gen. 11:3, R.V., margin, rendered in the A.V. "slime"), a mineral pitch. With this the ark was pitched (6:14. See also Ex. 2:3.) (See SLIME.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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