lignite

noun lig·nite \ ˈlig-ˌnīt \

Updated on: 6 Apr 2018

Definition of lignite

: a usually brownish black coal intermediate between peat and bituminous coal; especially : one in which the texture of the original wood is distinct — called also brown coal

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lignitic

play \lig-ˈni-tik\ adjective

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Recent Examples of lignite from the Web

And in the first of Smil's personal energy transitions, heat came not from wood, but from coal—hard black anthracite from Kladno or dirty brown lignite from North Bohemia.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "Meet Vaclav Smil, the man who has quietly shaped how the world thinks about energy," 21 Mar. 2018
The San Miguel Electric Cooperative’s longtime lignite mine, which supplies the fuel for its nearby power plant, wants to expand its footprint in McMullen County.

— jennifer hiller, San Antonio Express-News, "Pipeline company and coal mine brawl over South Texas ranch," 20 Oct. 2017
But Berlin's crusading attitude on climate change is undermined by the fact that the country still uses lignite, or brown coal, to produce around a quarter of its electricity.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Online Lenders Upbeat About Turnaround, But Worries Linger," 9 Aug. 2017
That, Southern and Mississippi Power said, would reduce the greenhouse emissions of burning lignite by up to 65 percent.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "$7.5 billion Kemper power plant suspends coal gasification," 29 June 2017
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Dozens of villagers in northwestern Greece have evacuated their homes after a lignite mine nearby collapsed.

— costas kantouris, The Seattle Times, "Greek village evacuated after mine collapses," 11 June 2017
Kemper was designed as a prototype carbon capture, or clean coal plant that would burn gasified lignite coal and capture up to 65 percent of its carbon emissions.

— dennis pillion, AL.com, "Even without Paris Accord, Alabama utilities reluctant to invest in coal," 3 June 2017
Expectations for the Kemper plant, which is located next to a mine for lignite, the dirtiest form of coal, always were ambitious; coal gasification never had been used to produce commercial electricity, according to climate experts.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "A Mississippi power plant shutdown shows that 'clean coal' always was a myth," 5 July 2017
Mississippi Power has been trying to achieve sustained operation of two gasifiers that convert soft lignite coal to a synthetic gas.

— jeff amy, The Seattle Times, "Mississippi utility will stop efforts to complete coal plant," 28 June 2017

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