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charbon

coal

noun shar-BOHN Rare

Also means

charcoal

Usage Note

Charbon covers both mineral coal (charbon de mine) and charcoal (charbon de bois). The idiom être sur des charbons ardents (to be on hot coals) means to be on tenterhooks. Charbonnier is the old word for a coal merchant, preserved in the proverb charbonnier est maître chez soi (a man's home is his castle).

Examples

"Les mineurs extraient le charbon de la mine."

Natural Translation

The miners extract coal from the mine.

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