different between bituminous vs tarmac

English

Etymology

From French bitumineux.

Adjective

bituminous (comparative more bituminous, superlative most bituminous)

1. Of or pertaining to bitumen.

Noun

bituminous (countable and uncountable, plural bituminouses)

1. (uncountable) Bituminous coal.
2. (countable) A type or grade of bituminous coal.

English

Etymology

Clipping of tarmacadam, which is tar +? macadam (crushed stones). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor Edgar Hooley.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t??(?)mæk/

Noun

tarmac (countable and uncountable, plural tarmacs)

1. Tarmacadam.

   Coordinate term: asphalt concrete

2. (loosely, Britain, Canada) Any bituminous road surfacing material.

   Synonym: asphalt

3. (Britain, Canada) The driveable surface of a road.
4. (informal, aviation) The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver.

Translations

See also

• asphalt

Verb

tarmac (third-person singular simple present tarmacs, present participle tarmacking or tarmacing or tarmaccing, simple past and past participle tarmacked or tarmaced or tarmacced)

1. (Britain, Canada) To pave with tarmacadam or a similar material.
   • 2014, Taking the rough with the smooth: Bolton residents anger over half-tarmaced road, ITV Granada:

     Residents in Bolton are angry after workmen tarmaced only one half of their road leaving the other half strewn with potholes.

2. (aviation) To spend time idling on a runway, usually waiting for takeoff clearance.

Derived terms

• retarmac
• untarmacked

Anagrams

• amtrac, mactra, ram-cat

French

Noun

tarmac m (plural tarmacs)

1. tarmac (part of airport)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ta?.mak/

Etymology

Borrowed from English, a clipping of tarmacadam. Genericized trademark.

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from English tarmac.

Noun

tarmac m (genitive singular tarmac)

1. tarmac

Declension

Synonyms

• tarramhacadam

References

• "tarmac" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.