carbón
coal
noun kahr-BOHN Less Common
Origin: From Latin carbo, carbonis (coal, charcoal).
Also means
charcoal
Usage Note
Carbón covers both mineral coal (carbón mineral) and charcoal (carbón vegetal). In the Christmas tradition shared across Spain and Latin America, naughty children receive carbón (coal) from the Three Kings. Don't confuse it with carbono, which is the chemical element carbon.
Examples
"La calefacción antigua usaba carbón."
Natural Translation
Old heating systems used coal.
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