batu bara

Indonesian

batu bara

Etymology

Compound of batu (“stone”) +‎ bara (“ember, charcoal”), from calque from Chinese 石炭 (“coal”, literally “rock; stone + charcoal”). Compare to Malay arang batu (“coal”, literally “charcoal + stone”).

Noun

batu bara (uncountable)

1. coal: a black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.

   Synonym: kol

Alternative forms

• batubara (in mining field)

Synonyms

• arang batu (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)

Derived terms

(Affixed terms):

• pembatubaraan

(Compounds):

• batu bara bitumen
• batu bara muda
• batu bara putih
• batu bara tua

Further reading

• “batu bara” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.