propellant

American  

[pruh-pel-uhnt] / prəˈpɛl ənt /

noun

1. a propelling agent.

2. the charge of explosive used to propel the projectile from a gun.

3. a substance, usually a mixture of fuel and oxidizer, for propelling a rocket.

4. a compressed inert gas that serves to dispense the contents of an aerosol container when the pressure is released.

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propellant British  

/ prəˈpɛlənt /

noun

1. something that provides or causes propulsion, such as the explosive charge in a gun or the fuel in a rocket

2. the gas used to carry the liquid droplets in an aerosol spray

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Other Word Forms

• multipropellant noun

Etymology

Origin of propellant

First recorded in 1915–20; propel + -ant

Example Sentences

The two-day test included filling the Space Launch System rocket with propellants, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

From Barron's

During the test, teams will load the rocket with cryogenic, or super-cold, propellants, carry out a full countdown sequence, and then safely drain the propellants.

From Science Daily

Fire Point is now receiving funding from several Western countries, including the U.K. and Germany, and is in the process of building a new factory in Denmark to produce rocket propellant.

From The Wall Street Journal

Using ordinary chemical rockets, you would need an amount of propellant vastly greater than all the mass in the visible universe.

From The Wall Street Journal

The new vehicles will be equipped to handle in-orbit docking and demonstrate vehicle-to-vehicle propellant transfer while in orbit — which is key for future moon or Mars missions.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• booby trap
• detonator
• dynamite
• gunpowder
• mine
• missile
• munition
• powder