[Fr. briquette in same sense, dim. of brique, BRICK. The F. word briquet (which is not a dim. of brique) has not this meaning.]
1. A block or slab of artificial stone.
1883. Hampstead Express, 7 April, 1/2. Patent Victoria Stone—Tensile Strain, average of 10 briquets (see Reid, on Concrete), 794 lbs. per square inch.
2. A brick-shaped block of artificial coal.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 8 Jan., 9/2. Works for the compressing of coal briquettes.
1886. Manchester City News, 30 Oct. The manufacture of briquettes, or machine-made coal, consists simply of the transformation of ‘smudge,’ or very small coal … into solid blocks, weighing about 111/4 lb. each. This result is attained by adding to the coal about eight per cent. of pitch.
