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cellulose nitrate

noun

any of a group of nitric esters of cellulose, used in the manufacture of lacquers and explosives.

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Origin of cellulose nitrate

First recorded in 1890–95
Also called nitrocellulose, nitrocotton.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for cellulose nitrate

cellulose nitrate

noun

a compound made by treating cellulose with nitric and sulphuric acids, used in plastics, lacquers, and explosives: a nitrogen-containing ester of celluloseAlso called (not in chemical usage): nitrocellulose See also guncotton
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
Medicine definitions for cellulose nitrate

cellulose nitrate

n.

A pulpy or cottonlike polymer derived from cellulose treated with sulfuric and nitric acids and used in the manufacture of explosives and plastics.nitrocellulose
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.