whys it called pitch black

[Ollie24]

where does the saying pitch black come from?

[battersby]

I would think it's to do with Tar Ollie24.

[Ollie24]

Why tar? Reason i ask is people say it's pitch black in here.
thanks

[webbo3]

here you go

pitch2 /pɪtʃ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pich] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
�noun 1. any of various dark, tenacious, and viscous substances for caulking and paving, consisting of the residue of the distillation of coal tar or wood tar.
2. any of certain bitumens, as asphalt: mineral pitch.
3. any of various resins.
4. the sap or crude turpentine that exudes from the bark of pines.
�verb (used with object) 5. to smear or cover with pitch.


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[Origin: bef. 900; ME pich, OE pic < L pic- (s. of pix), whence also D pek, G Pech; akin to Gk p�ssa pitch]

�Related forms
pitchlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, � Random House, Inc. 2006.

Tar is black!

[jno]

used to be 'black as pitch', ie black as tar, as in the explanations webbo gives.

[Ollie24]

Thanks all for your help

[con-amca]

We used to say "black as a vulture's crutch". Should it be "crotch"?