Meanings
bovey coal1
- obsoleteproscribedsometimesuncountableAlternative letter-case form of Bovey coal.
This invaluable mineral abounds in China; in the province of Pe-tche-le is found a species of graphite: that exposed for sale in the towns along the banks of the Yang-tse-kiang resembles cannel-coal; and, in the vicinity of the Po-yang lake, a description having the character of bovey coal prevails.
1800, George Newenham Wright et al., China..., page 65
Bovey coal2
alternative bovey coal
- obsoleteuncountablechemistrySynonym of lignite, particularly the specific kind found at Bovey Tracey.
Synonyms: lignite, particularly the specific kind found at Bovey Tracey
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of lignite, particularly the specific kind found at Bovey Tracey.
Origin
From its prevalence in the colliery at Bovey Tracey in Devon, England.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bovey coal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bovey%20coal
“bovey coal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bovey%20coal. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bovey coal,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bovey%20coal.
Source: bovey coal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.