maceral

M3A1C3E1R1A1L1

noun

A component of coal or oil shale.

“Inertinite, vitrinite and liptinite are macerals.”

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Meanings

nounmaceral (plural macerals)

plural macerals

  1. A component of coal or oil shale.

    Inertinite, vitrinite and liptinite are macerals.

Origin

From Latin mācerō (“macerate”) + -al, after mineral. Coined by British birth control campaigner and paleontologist Marie Stopes in 1935.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish macerał
  • macerała component of coal or oil shale
Russian мацера́л
  • мацера́л (macerál)a component of coal or oil shale
Ukrainian мацера́л
  • мацера́л (macerál)a component of coal or oil shale

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

caramelreclamaMaracleceramalcameral
Cite this entry
APA

maceral. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maceral

MLA

“maceral.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maceral. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maceral,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maceral.

Source: maceral on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.