soot

UK: /ˈsʊt/ US: /sʊt, sut/ ,(sŏŏt, so̅o̅t)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

soot /sʊt, sut/   n. [uncountable]

1. Chemistry a black substance produced during incomplete burning of coal, etc., rising in tiny particles that stick to and blacken surfaces on contact:
   Black soot was shooting out of the chimneys.

soot•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est:

sooty fireplaces.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

soot  (sŏŏt, so̅o̅t), n. 

1. Chemistry a black, carbonaceous substance produced during incomplete combustion of coal, wood, oil, etc., rising in fine particles and adhering to the sides of the chimney or pipe conveying the smoke: also conveyed in the atmosphere to other locations.

v.t. 

2. to mark, cover, or treat with soot.

• bef. 900; Middle English; Old English sōt; cognate with Old Norse sōt

soot′less, adj. 
soot′like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

soot / sʊt/ noun

1. finely divided carbon deposited from flames during the incomplete combustion of organic substances such as coal

verb

1. (transitive) to cover with soot

Etymology: Old English sōt; related to Old Norse, Middle Low German sōt, Lithuanian sódis, Old Slavonic sažda, Old Irish sūide