nitrous
/ˈnaɪtɹəs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.96 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Pertaining to or composed of nitre; having the properties of nitre, bitter.
adj
Of, relating to, or derived from nitrogen, especially in which the valence of the nitrogen is lower than that of a corresponding nitric species.
adj
Of or relating to nitrous acid or its derivatives.
adj
Having a sharp odor like ammonia or nitric acid.
noun
The system in some racing vehicles which pumps nitrous oxide into the engine to improve performance.
Informal; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Whate'er the wintry Frost Nitrous prepar'd; the various-blossom'd Spring Put in white Promise forth; and Summer-Suns Concocted strong, rush boundless now to View […]."
- "In fact, nitric oxide (not to be confused with nitrous oxide, or laughing gas) is one of our primary signalling molecules."
- "On social media and beyond, many have taken to using the brand’s name in a more colloquial fashion, with “Galaxy Gas” being used as a catchall for nitrous oxide inhalants at large, regardless of whether they are actually Galaxy Gas products or not."
- "When a shot this big is being run, it will also be necessary to pull 6-10 degrees of timing out when the nitrous is being run."
- "To simulate nitrous, we will use a very simple approach: apply a large force to the back of the car when the nitrous is on."
- "When tested on a typical summer day, an engine with fuel fed by an annular discharge booster could be 10 hp less over a stepped dogleg booster, but 10 hp more when the nitrous is in operation."
Etymology
From Middle French nitreux, and its source, Latin nitrōsus (“nitrose”). Doublet of nitroso. By surface analysis, nitro- + -ous.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: nitreux, nitrōsus