Creosote is a thick, dark-brown oil with a sharp, burnt smell. People brush it onto wood that has to live outside — fence posts, the heavy beams under train tracks — because it soaks in and stops the wood from rotting. It is not a friendly stuff: you should not get it on your skin or breathe it in if you can help it, and the smell hangs around for a long time.

CreosoteCreosote（木餾油） is a thick, dark-brown oil是一種濃稠、深棕色的油 with a sharp, burnt smell帶有刺鼻焦味。People brush it onto wood that has to live outside大家會把它刷在必須待在戶外的木頭上——fence posts, the heavy beams under train tracks像是圍籬柱、鐵軌下面那些厚重的枕木——because it soaks in and stops the wood from rotting因為它會滲進木頭裡，防止木頭腐爛。It is not a friendly stuff這東西不算友善：you should not get it on your skin or breathe it in if you can help it能避免的話，最好不要沾到皮膚，也不要吸進去，and the smell hangs around for a long time而且那股味道會停留很久。

Though actually, the name is older than fence-painting. In the 1830s a German scientist, Baron Reichenbach, built the word from Greek pieces meaning “flesh” and “preserver”, because this kind of oil was used to keep meat from going bad. A desert bush in America was later called the creosote bush only because its leaves smell like the oil — the bush is not the liquid.

Though actually不過實際上，the name is older than fence-painting這個名字比刷木頭這種用法還要老。In the 1830s a German scientist, Baron Reichenbach在 1830 年代，一位德國科學家 Baron Reichenbach，built the word from Greek pieces meaning "flesh" and "preserver"用希臘文裡意思是「肉」和「保存者」的字根，造出了這個詞，because this kind of oil was used to keep meat from going bad因為這種油曾經被用來讓肉不腐壞。A desert bush in America美國一種沙漠灌木 was later called the creosote bush後來被叫做 creosote bush，only because its leaves smell like the oil只是因為它的葉子聞起來像這種油——the bush is not the liquid那株灌木本身不是這種液體。

You will also hear creosote as a verb: to creosote a fence is to paint it with this oil. It is a practical, outdoor word, a little old-fashioned; you meet it in gardening, railways, and old buildings more than in school stories.

You will also hear creosote as a verb你也會聽到 creosote 當動詞用：to creosote a fenceto creosote a fence is to paint it with this oil就是用這種油刷圍籬。It is a practical, outdoor word, a little old-fashioned這是一個實用的戶外用詞，有點老派；you meet it in gardening, railways, and old buildings你比較會在園藝、鐵路，和老建築裡遇到它 more than in school stories而不是在校園故事裡。