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acid rain

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noun

precipitation, as rain, snow, or sleet, containing relatively high concentrations of acid-forming chemicals, as the pollutants from coal smoke, chemical manufacturing, and smelting, that have been released into the atmosphere and combined with water vapor: harmful to the environment.

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RELATED WORDS

fog, smoke, soot, haze

Nearby words

  1. acid perfusion test,
  2. acid phosphatase,
  3. acid phosphate,
  4. acid precipitation,
  5. acid radical,
  6. acid reflux,
  7. acid rock,
  8. acid salt,
  9. acid soil,
  10. acid stain

Origin of acid rain

First recorded in 1855–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for acid rain

acid rain

noun

rain that contains a high concentration of pollutants, chiefly sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal or oil
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Culture definitions for acid rain

acid rain

A type of precipitation made up of dilute acids, primarily a by-product of heavy industry.

Note

Acid rain is a result of the combination of water with chemicals released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.