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kieselguhr

[kee-zuh l-goo r]
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noun
  1. diatomaceous earth.
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Origin of kieselguhr

1870–75; < German, equivalent to Kiesel flint + Gu(h)r earthy deposit
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kieselguhr

Historical Examples

  • The best substitute for "kieselguhr" is ashes of bog-head coal.

    Torpedoes and Torpedo Warfare

    C. W. Sleeman

  • Dynamit: nitroglycerine 75 per cent, Kieselguhr 25 per cent.

  • It is a patented preparation and is made by the absorption of phosphoric acid by a powdery compound known as “Kieselguhr.”

  • Nitroglycerine, when absorbed in a porous earth called 'Kieselguhr', is called dynamite.

  • Kieselguhr, or simply guhr, absorbs twice its weight of nitroglycerine; cork charcoal absorbs nine times its weight.

British Dictionary definitions for kieselguhr

kieselguhr

noun
  1. an unconsolidated form of diatomite
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Word Origin

C19: from German Kieselgur, from Kiesel flint, pebble + Gur loose earthy deposit
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