detonation

[ det-n-ey-shuhn ]
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noun
  1. the act of detonating.

  2. an explosion.

  1. Machinery. the premature spontaneous burning of a fuel–air mixture in an internal-combustion engine due to the high temperature of air compressed in a cylinder.

Origin of detonation

1
1670–80; <Medieval Latin dētonātiōn- (stem of dētonātiō), equivalent to Latin dētonāt(us) (see detonate) + -iōn--ion

Other words from detonation

  • det·o·na·tive, adjective

Words Nearby detonation

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How to use detonation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for detonation

detonation

/ (ˌdɛtəˈneɪʃən) /


noun
  1. an explosion or the act of exploding

  2. the spontaneous combustion in an internal-combustion engine of part of the mixture before it has been reached by the flame front, causing the engine to knock

  1. physics rapid combustion, esp that occurring within a shock wave

Derived forms of detonation

  • detonative, adjective

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