nitrate film
Americannoun
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a formerly produced film stock using a base of nitrocellulose: extremely flammable and tending to erode at a relatively early age.
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a motion picture made with or printed on this film.
Preserving these nitrate films is difficult and hazardous, and projecting them requires a special license.
Etymology
Origin of nitrate film
First recorded in 1920–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 10th edition of the event dedicated to screening movies on nitrate film, at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, N.Y., featured a dizzying array of historical gems and Hollywood treasures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
"He was one of the first filmmakers," said George Willeman, leader of the congressional library's nitrate film vault, who said the recovered reel was likely a third-generation copy of the Melies original.
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
But the director kept a copy, shot on highly unstable silver nitrate film, in his freezer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
“Ninety percent of all silent films have been lost because they were made on nitrate film, which is flammable and explodable,” Cleveland told The Associated Press.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
Three more followed, leaving a small tangle of film reel, nitrate film reel, just before Boaz and Ashmodai.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
