guncotton

[ guhn-kot-n ]
/ ˈgʌnˌkɒt n /

noun

a highly explosive cellulose nitrate, made by digesting clean cotton in a mixture of one part nitric acid and three parts sulfuric acid: used in making smokeless powder.

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Origin of guncotton

First recorded in 1840–50; gun1 + cotton

Words nearby guncotton

gun-toting, gun., guna, gunboat, gunboat diplomacy, guncotton, gunda, gundi, gunfight, gunfighter, gunfire
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Example sentences from the Web for guncotton

British Dictionary definitions for guncotton

guncotton
/ (ˈɡʌnˌkɒtən) /

noun

cellulose nitrate containing a relatively large amount of nitrogen: used as an explosive
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