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.

---

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of cordite

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

Example Sentences

He had worked at a cordite factory in India before becoming superintendent at the huge south of Scotland site - a position he held until 1921.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2021

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

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

She could smell coaly deposits on the surfaces, cordite, paraffin, like fireworks in the park on bonfire night, or northern streets in December.

From The Guardian • Mar. 18, 2013

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

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman