grès houiller

English translation: coal sandstone, millstone grit

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:grès houiller
English translation:coal sandstone, millstone grit
Entered by: Donald Pistolesi

17:15 May 4, 2017
French to English translations [PRO]
Science - Geology
French term or phrase: grès houiller
From a book about the city of Liège (the author is Belgian) for the general public.

The term refers to a building material used for fortifying the city:

Notger, comme l’écrit un chroniqueur du milieu du xie siècle, le chanoine Anselme, « agrandit et restaura la ville par des murs » de grès houiller.

Thank you.
Donald Pistolesi
Local time: 19:13
coal sandstone
Explanation:
Coal-bearing sandstone used as building stone

See also https://books.google.fr/books?id=jxBfAAAAcAAJ
The overlying coal sandstone is exhibited in fine quarries at Pensax, and is a good building material
Selected response from:

Vissertrans
France
Local time: 00:13
Grading comment
I chose "coal sandstone" because I think it will be easier on the book's intended lay reader; because the example sentence refers to the city and century my text deals with; and because coal being so important in the economic history of South Belgium, I feel it is good to name it. However as far as terminology equivalence, millstone is no doubt equally good.
My thanks to the Answerers. The kindness of strangers helps on get through the day.
Donald
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2millstone grit / coal-grit
Tony M
3 +1coal sandstone
Vissertrans


  

Answers


27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
coal sandstone


Explanation:
Coal-bearing sandstone used as building stone

See also https://books.google.fr/books?id=jxBfAAAAcAAJ
The overlying coal sandstone is exhibited in fine quarries at Pensax, and is a good building material

Example sentence(s):
  • The Collegiate Church of St. Bartholomew[citation needed] is an historical building in Liège, Belgium. Founded outside the city walls, it was built in coal sandstone, starting in the late 11th century
  • ...name given to a coal-bearing sandstone used as building stone

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiate_Church_of_St._Bartholomew
    https://books.google.fr/books?id=Yp8SBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA223&lpg=PA223&dq=%22coal+sandstone%22+building+material&source=bl&ots=CG6iaq1742&sig=c7ID
Vissertrans
France
Local time: 00:13
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
I chose "coal sandstone" because I think it will be easier on the book's intended lay reader; because the example sentence refers to the city and century my text deals with; and because coal being so important in the economic history of South Belgium, I feel it is good to name it. However as far as terminology equivalence, millstone is no doubt equally good.
My thanks to the Answerers. The kindness of strangers helps on get through the day.
Donald

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Seems to be the commoner term elsewhere in the world.
18 mins
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
millstone grit / coal-grit


Explanation:
I am more familiar with 'millstone grit' as a building material.

The GDT is always a good first stop when researching terminology:

http://www.granddictionnaire.com/ficheOqlf.aspx?Id_Fiche=108...

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Note added at 47 minutes (2017-05-04 18:02:59 GMT)
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This term also translate 'meulière', and in any case, the informal EN term seems to be mainly used in relation to the geology of the UK.

Tony M
France
Local time: 00:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: I found "coal-bearing sandstone". I don't know if that's the same thing.
3 mins
  -> I suspect it is: AFAIK, it is a type of sandstone commonly associated with coal beds. Certainly remember it from the geology of the North of England, when I studied that all those æons ago ;-)

agree  Cornelius Gillen: millstone grit; i doubt if coal-bearing sandstone would be used for buildings
14 hrs
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