asphaltic

Variant of asphalt

noun

  1. a brown or black, tarlike, bituminous substance that consists mainly of hydrocarbons, found in large flat beds or made by refining petroleum
  2. a mixture of this with sand or gravel, for cementing, paving, roofing, etc.

Origin: ML asphaltus < Gr asphaltos, prob. < a-, not + sphallein, to cause to fall, injure (< IE base *(s)p(h)el-, to split off > spill): ? so named because of use as protective substance for walls

transitive verb

to pave, roof, etc. with asphalt

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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