carbonite
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.09 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An explosive manufactured from a variety of materials, including nitroglycerine, wood meal and nitrates.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An explosive composed of nitrobenzene, saltpetre, sulfur, and kieselguhr.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A naturally occurring carbonaceous material formed from coal, natural coke.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "He was pleased with bellite, he found that carbonite made more fumes than bellite, but the explosive he liked best was ammonite."
- "Although this proved safe in the usual pit gas mixtures, yet it was found impossible to manipulate it, so another explosive, carbonite, made by the same firm, was tried. This was safe in small charges only ; improvements were made, and in September 1887 a carbonite consisting of saltpetre, cellulose, nitro-glycerine, and sulphuretted oil was found to be absolutely safe."
- "Even these explosives are, however, dangerous if the charges are large (above 300 grams for roburite and westphalite, and above 1000 grams for the carbonites), since then a momentary pressure on the air is developed (especially if the velocity of explosion is high) and a decided rise of temperature."
- "In some Scottish localities, in the neighbourhood of trap dykes, coal is found to have been changed to coke ("carbonite"). Similar effects have been noticed (1882) in Midlothian, Chesterfield Co., Va., where the carbonite seam is 15 feet thick."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃-der.? Latin carbōnemlbor. French carbonebor. English carbon Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs)der. Ancient Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs)der. Latin -ītēslbor. French -iteder. English -ite English carbonite From carbon + -ite.