firedamp

[ fahyuhr-damp ]

/ ˈfaɪərˌdæmp /

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noun Mining.

a combustible gas consisting chiefly of methane, formed especially in coal mines, and dangerously explosive when mixed with certain proportions of atmospheric air.

the explosive mixture itself.

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Origin of firedamp

First recorded in 1670–80; fire + damp

Words nearby firedamp

firecracker, firecracker flower, firecrest, fire-cure, fire curtain, firedamp, fire department, firedog, fire door, firedrake, fire drill

How to use firedamp in a sentence

An example of a hydrocarbon or compound of carbon and hydrogen, is marsh gas (methane) or firedamp, CH4.
The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing|Watson Smith
As well might the vapours of the swamp be purified by filling it with the firedamp.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine--Volume 62, No. 386, December, 1847|Various
Mr. Crotchet, jun.—I hope, Mr. Firedamp, you will let your friendship carry you a little closer into the jaws of the lion.
Crotchet Castle|Thomas Love Peacock
Next to her is Mr. Firedamp, a very absurd person, who thinks that water is the evil principle.
Crotchet Castle|Thomas Love Peacock

Proceeding to the edge of the moat, they fished up Mr. Firedamp, who had missed his way back, and tumbled in.
Crotchet Castle|Thomas Love Peacock

British Dictionary definitions for firedamp

firedamp

/ (ˈfaɪəˌdæmp) /

noun

a mixture of hydrocarbons, chiefly methane, formed in coal mines. It forms explosive mixtures with airSee also afterdamp

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