white damp

noun

1. a poisonous coal-mine gas composed chiefly of carbon monoxide.

Word History and Origins

Origin of white damp¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

On the white, damp wall of the Yahidne school basement is a crude calendar, drawn in red crayon.

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“Black damp” consists of accumulations of irrespirable gases, mostly nitrogen, which cause the lights to burn dimly, and the term “white damp” is sometimes applied to carbon monoxide.

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Across the length of the hall she saw nothing now but that thin, slouching figure, the gestures of those nervous, flexible hands, that white, damp face, with its crooked eyebrows and smile.

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The late-summer night slowly spread its white damp veil over the landscape.

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She slipped between the porti�res into the moonlit room, and—she could not wait even to take off her cloak and turban—tiptoed eagerly, excitedly across the atelier, mounted upon the modelling platform, and threw back the white damp cloth, revealing the figure's head.

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