afterdamp

American  

[af-ter-damp, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌdæmp, ˈɑf- /

noun

1. an irrespirable mixture of gases, consisting chiefly of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, left in a mine after an explosion or fire.

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afterdamp British  

/ ˈɑːftəˌdæmp /

noun

1. a poisonous mixture of gases containing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen formed after the explosion of firedamp in coal mines See also whitedamp

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Etymology

Origin of afterdamp

First recorded in 1855–60; after + damp

Example Sentences

Carbon monoxide, the gas released after a methane explosion – known to miners as afterdamp – is just as lethal in a different way.

From The Guardian • Nov. 24, 2010

When I came to I was lying with my face in a dampish sort of hollow, and I suppose the afterdamp had lifted a bit, for I could raise my head.

From Sir George Tressady — Volume II by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

We had not gone fifty yards before we came on the afterdamp, filling the headway like smoke.

From Recollections of Geoffrey Hamlyn by Kingsley, Henry

A heavy fall of roof had to be scrambled over, and beyond it afterdamp was clearly perceptible.

From Sir George Tressady — Volume II by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

All of them, young or old, were dazed and bent from the effects of afterdamp, and scarcely one of them had strength to rise till they were helped to their feet.

From Sir George Tressady — Volume II by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.