\Cre"o*sote\ (kr?"?-s?t), n. [Gr. ???, gen. ???, flesh
+ ??? to preserve.] (Chem.)
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.
Note: It is remarkable as an antiseptic and deodorizer in the
      preservation of wood, flesh, etc., and in the
      prevention of putrefaction; but it is a poor germicide,
      and in this respect has been overrated. Smoked meat, as
      ham, owes its preservation and taste to a small
      quantity of creosote absorbed from the smoke to which
      it is exposed. Carbolic acid is phenol proper, while
      creosote is a mixture of several phenols.
{Coal-tar creosote} (Chem.), a colorless or yellow, oily
   liquid, obtained in the distillation of coal tar, and
   resembling wood-tar oil, or creosote proper, in
   composition and properties.

\Cre"o*sote\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Creosoted}
(-s?"t?d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Creosoting}.]
To saturate or impregnate with creosote, as timber, for the
prevention of decay.