calcium carbide

American

noun

a grayish-black, lumpy, crystalline powder, CaC 2 , usually derived from coke or anthracite by reaction with limestone or quicklime: used chiefly for the generation of acetylene, which it yields upon decomposing in water.

calcium carbide British

noun

Sometimes shortened to: carbide. a grey salt of calcium used in the production of acetylene (by its reaction with water) and calcium cyanamide. Formula: CaC 2

"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

Etymology

Origin of calcium carbide

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Indian Coast Guard said that the ship was carrying 13 containers of hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide - a chemical that reacts with seawater to release a flammable gas.

From BBC • May 26, 2025

The freight train was carrying calcium carbide, a caustic, flammable chemical compound used in steel manufacturing, among other things.

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2024

Currently, the same lamps are used by some cavers, and calcium carbide is used to produce acetylene for carbide cannons.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

It was storing mainly ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and calcium carbide at the time of the blasts, according to the police.

From Reuters • Aug. 13, 2015

The simplicity of the manufacture of acetylene from calcium carbide and water gives to this gas a great advantage in some cases.

From Artificial Light Its Influence upon Civilization by Luckiesh, Matthew

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023