coal plantn.
/ˈkəʊl plɑːnt/, /ˈkəʊl plant/, U.S. /ˈkoʊl ˌplænt/ 1. Usually in plural. A plant whose remains occur fossilized in coal deposits. Cf. coal forest n. at coal n. Compounds 5.
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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > sedimentary formation > [noun] > stratum > stratum by constitution > organic remains or fossils
moorlog1655
coal plant1695
leaf bed1697
plant bed1784
oyster bed1833
stem-bed1853
forest-bed1861
starfish bed1861
fish-bed1869
insect-bed1893
lagerstätte1972
1695 E. Lhuyd Let. 28 Aug. in W. Derham Philos. Lett. (1718) 287 I have sent you here a Figure of one of these Cole Plants.
1714 Philos. Trans. 1713 (Royal Soc.) 28 94 The Coal Plants have been observed by the Workmen long since, tho' they escaped the Notice of Naturalists.
1846 C. Darwin Let. 19 May in Corr. (1987) III. 319 Have you seen Bunbury's Paper..on American Coal-plants.
1906 Jrnl. Geol. (Chicago) 14 152 The shales carry interesting coal plants, chiefly of the lepidodendrid types.
2009 M. B. Roberts in M. Kölbl-Ebert Geol. & Relig. 168/1 Among the coal plants are occasional coniferous trees.
2. A power plant which burns coal; a coal-fired power station.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical power, electricity > place of power generation > [noun]
powerhouse1870
power plant1871
installation1882
power station1887
substation1887
power centre1892
coal plant1894
power unit1904
nuke1969
1894 Electr. Engineer 20 June 533/2 Attendance for the coal plant has yet to be considered. With a furnace burning 7 tons in the six cold months, attendance figures up at $0.10 for burning 46lbs.
1908 Ann. Rep. Navy Dept. 1907 (U.S.) 333 Contract has..been made for open storage area and for power plant... As this is the most important station on the Pacific coast, a coal plant of large capacity should be built.
1946 Times 9 Sept. 4/3 The costs of operating a nuclear power plant are 26 per cent. higher than those of a comparable coal plant.
2002 Economist 6 July 11/1 A clause in America's Clean Air Act exempts old coal plants from complying with current emissions rules.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1695