| a dark viscid product obtained from wood by distillation or by slow burning without flame, used in its natural state to preserve timber, rope, etc., or subjected to further distillation to yield creosote, oils, and a final residuum, wood pitch. |
| wood tar n. A viscous black fluid that is a byproduct of the destructive distillation of wood and is used in pitch, preservatives, and medicines. |
wood tar
liquid obtained as one of the products of the carbonization, or destructive distillation, of wood. There are two types: hardwood tars, derived from such woods as oak and beech; and resinous tars, derived from pine wood, particularly from resinous stumps and roots. Crude wood tar may be used as fuel or for preserving rope and wood and for caulking. The tar may be fractionated to yield creosote, oils, and pitch
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