bitumen
/ˈbɪtjʊmən
/noun [mass noun]
1A black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation. It is used for road surfacing and roofing.Unlike the flowing reserves that are pumped out of Dallas, oil sands are actually deposits of bitumen - a tar-like mixture of petroleum hydrocarbons that are attached to sand....
- The crude petroleum is heat-extracted from a mixture of bitumen, sand, water, and clay in an open-pit mining operation.
- Unlike the bitumen used in builtup systems, the bitumen in modified bitumen systems is modified with polymers in order to increase the elasticity and strength of the finished roof.
1.1Australian informal A tarred road surface: a kilometre and a half of bitumen...
- An exception is where scrap rubber is incorporated using high percentages in bitumen as scrap rubber reduces road-tyre noise.
- The road becomes a strip of bitumen flanked at first by banana trees, then by an array of she-oaks.
- The skate set-up included a metal three piece mini, gnarly street section of bitumen and wooden ramps and the mass indoor park course, which was gold.
Origin
Late Middle English (denoting naturally occurring asphalt used as mortar): from Latin.