bitumen

noun bi·tu·men \ bə-ˈtyü-mən , bī- , -ˈtü- , especially British also ˈbit-yə- \

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of bitumen

1 : an asphalt of Asia Minor used in ancient times as a cement and mortar

2 : any of various mixtures of hydrocarbons (such as tar) often together with their nonmetallic derivatives that occur naturally or are obtained as residues after heat-refining natural substances (such as petroleum); specifically : such a mixture soluble in carbon disulfide

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bituminization

play \bə-ˌtyü-mə-nə-ˈzā-shən, bī-, -ˌtü-\ noun

—

bituminize

play \-ˈtyü-mə-ˌnīz, -ˈtü-\ transitive verb

Recent Examples of bitumen from the Web

That’s equal to between $33 and $38 a barrel at current bitumen prices versus $35 a barrel for heavy Western Canadian Select, an oil-sands benchmark, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

— robert tuttle, Bloomberg.com, "Oil Sands Upgraders May Make a Comeback Amid Pipeline Crises," 12 Mar. 2018
The bitumen road out of town soon turns to dirt, and farmhouses on big wheat properties are dotted every several miles.

— jacqueline williams, New York Times, "A Farming Town Divided: Do We Want a Nuclear Site that Brings Jobs?," 7 Mar. 2018
Environmental advocates have opposed Keystone XL because it will be used to transport bitumen oil, which emits more CO2 during the refining process than other forms of crude oil.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Nebraska approves controversial Keystone XL pipeline with conditions," 20 Nov. 2017
As is the case in Michigan, the bitumen will persist in the water table for the foreseeable future.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Trump's Vague Regulation Policy Will Have Seriously Specific Consequences," 30 Jan. 2017
The company had anticipated that some of the bitumen shipped from the oil sands would be loaded onto tankers at ports in eastern Canada for shipment to the United States.

— ian austen, New York Times, "Major Canadian Pipeline Project Is Abandoned," 5 Oct. 2017
Voeten said readings taken on a very hot day showed a temperature difference of up to 40 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) between his hospital garden above the banks of a busy waterway compared with a roof covered in black bitumen.

— Washington Post, "Dutch engineer aims high with latest green roof design," 10 Sep. 2017
But the presence of bitumen is unusual and the most likely reason is to slow the decay of the teeth.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "13,000-Year-Old Fillings Were “Drilled” With Stone and Packed With Tar," 11 Apr. 2017
TransCanada Corp wants to ship thick bitumen oil from its tar sands in Alberta, British Columbia, to Houston on the Gulf of Mexico, cutting through six US states and the Tanderups’ small farm.

— doug struck, The Christian Science Monitor, "In the heartland, a David and Goliath battle over a pipeline," 18 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bitumen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.