The Collaborative International Dictionary
Asphalt \As"phalt\, Asphaltum \As*phal"tum\, n. [Gr. ?, of eastern origin: cf. F. asphalte.]
Mineral pitch, Jews' pitch, or compact native bitumen. It is brittle, of a black or brown color and high luster on a surface of fracture; it melts and burns when heated, leaving no residue. It occurs on the surface and shores of the Dead Sea, which is therefore called Asphaltites, or the Asphaltic Lake. It is found also in many parts of Asia, Europe, and America. See Bitumen.
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A composition of bitumen, pitch, lime, and gravel, used for forming pavements, and as a water-proof cement for bridges, roofs, etc.; asphaltic cement. Artificial asphalt is prepared from coal tar, lime, sand, etc.
Asphalt stone, Asphalt rock, a limestone found impregnated with asphalt.
Wiktionary
n. (context dated English) asphalt
Usage examples of "asphaltum".
She heated small round stones in the fire and put them in the asphaltum, and then lined the bottle, making it tight.
Just in this county are found gold, silver, copper, asphaltum, bituminous rock, gypsum, quicksilver, natural gas, and petroleum.
These drains are of wood, asphaltum coated, with an inside diameter ranging from 3 to 6 in.
The ceilings of the chambers now projected six inches above the surrounding course of the structure, and at this juncture hundreds of cauldrons were brought in which a crude asphaltum was heated until it became liquid and the interstices of the next six inch course were filled with it, bringing the entire completed course to the same level at a height of thirty inches, over all of which a second six inch course of rock and asphaltum was laid, and the second story laid out and completed in a similar manner.
The name came from the fact that the creek ran across an expanse of surface oil sands, giving the soil the color and odor of asphaltum.