cordite

American  

[kawr-dahyt] / ˈkɔr daɪt /

noun

1. a smokeless, slow-burning powder composed of 30 to 58 percent nitroglycerin, 37 to 65 percent nitrocellulose, and 5 to 6 percent mineral jelly.

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cordite British  

/ ˈkɔːdaɪt /

noun

1. any of various explosive materials used for propelling bullets, shells, etc, containing cellulose nitrate, sometimes mixed with nitroglycerine, plasticizers, and stabilizers

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cordite Scientific  

/ kôr′dīt′ /

1. An explosive powder consisting of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and petroleum jelly, used as a propellant for guns. It does not generate smoke and is shaped into cords.

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Etymology

Origin of cordite

First recorded in 1885–90; cord + -ite ¹, so called from its cordlike form

Example Sentences

Blue smoke and the smell of cordite filled the air as Everton's team coach arrived, the area around the players entrance packed with supporters.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2025

More the whiff of damp squibs than cordite.

From The Guardian • Jul. 1, 2020

Adams is beholden to multiple constituencies, and for some faction of supporters his charisma has always derived, at least in part, from the whiff of cordite.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 9, 2015

War floods these people’s lives like a natural catastrophe, a Hurricane Katrina that reeks of cordite.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2011

The three soldiers approached the crater where the smell of cordite was strong.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan