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

See Examples For:

cordite

And though the characters in this kind of farce are usually married, it seems that over the course of 20 years one girlfriend would have asked the other, “Is that cordite you’re wearing?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The seven 8X tunnels were built to store high explosives and cordite, Clubb said.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

As the first rocket shrieks above his head, Iturralde sets off another, another shower of sparks falling at his feet, another cloud of cordite writhing around his sleeve.

From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2021

More the whiff of damp squibs than cordite.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 1, 2020

The air was full of dust, and of the cordite smell of smashed rock.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman