Definition of creosote

• n. - Wood-tar oil; an oily antiseptic liquid, of a burning smoky taste, colorless when pure, but usually colored yellow or brown by impurity or exposure. It is a complex mixture of various phenols and their ethers, and is obtained by the distillation of wood tar, especially that of beechwood.
• v. t. - To saturate or impregnate with creosote, as timber, for the prevention of decay.