Synonyms

nitroglycerin

American

[nahy-truh-glis-er-in] / ˌnaɪ trəˈglɪs ər ɪn /

Also nitroglycerine

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

a colorless, thick, oily, flammable, highly explosive, slightly water-soluble liquid, C 3 H 5 N 3 O 9 , prepared from glycerol with nitric and sulfuric acids: used chiefly as a constituent of dynamite and other explosives, in rocket propellants, and in medicine as a vasodilator in the treatment of angina pectoris.

nitroglycerin Scientific

/ nī′trō-glĭs′ər-ĭn /

A thick, pale-yellow, explosive liquid formed by treating glycerin with nitric and sulfuric acids. It is used to make dynamite and in medicine to dilate blood vessels. Chemical formula: C ₃ H ₅ N ₃ O ₉ .

Etymology

Origin of nitroglycerin

First recorded in 1855–60; nitro- + glycerin

Vocabulary lists containing nitroglycerin

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Engineering - High School

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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.

Nitroglycerin, a heart medication for angina and heart attacks, is converted to NO to help relax the blood vessels and increase oxygen flow through the body.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Nitroglycerin becomes so sensitive when it absorbs moisture that even a slight shake can set it off.

From Scientific American • Nov. 14, 2019

Nitroglycerin is very dangerous because it explodes easily; neon poses almost no hazard because it is very unreactive.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

If the warning lasts some minutes, the patient should carry with him, a bottle of uncoated one-hundredth-grain tabloids of Nitroglycerin, replacing the screw cap with a cork, so that they can quickly be extracted.

From Epilepsy, Hysteria, and Neurasthenia Their Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment by Briggs, Isaac George

Nitroglycerin, the Spiritus Glonoini of the U. S. P., acts in about the same manner as amyl nitrite but the effects last usually a trifle longer.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023