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gunpowder

/ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/ /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdəɹ/

Meanings
noun
An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulphur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.

Examples :

"The fireworks display used gunpowder to create colourful explosions. "
substance material chemistry weapon military technology

Related Words

Illustration grandmother

grandmother noun

/ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðə(r)/ /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/

A mother of someone's parent.

"My grandmother taught me how to bake cookies when I was a child. "

Illustration colourful

colourful adjective

/ˈkʌlərfəl/ /ˈkʌləfʊl/

Possessing prominent and varied colors.

"The children drew a colourful picture of their family. "

Illustration formerly

formerly adverb

/ˈfɔːməli/ /ˈfɔɹmɚli/

At some time in the past

"My formerly quiet neighborhood is now very busy with new construction. "

Illustration saltpetre

saltpetre noun

/ˌsɔːltˈpiːtər/ /ˌsɔltˈpiːtər/

Potassium nitrate.

"The gardener added saltpetre to the soil to help the tomato plants grow bigger. "

Illustration mixture

mixture noun

/ˈmɪkstʃə/ /ˈmɪkstʃɚ/

The act of mixing.

"The mixture of flour and water was carefully stirred to make the dough. "

Illustration nitrate

nitrate noun

/ˈnaɪˌtɹeɪt/

Any salt or ester of nitric acid.

"The farmer added a fertilizer containing nitrate to help his corn grow faster. "

Illustration charcoal

charcoal noun

/ˈtʃɑː.kəʊl/ /ˈtʃɑɹ.koʊl/

Impure carbon obtained by destructive distillation of wood or other organic matter, that is to say, heating it in the absence of oxygen.

"We used charcoal to grill hamburgers in the backyard. "

Illustration delicious

delicious adjective

/dɪˈlɪʃəs/ /diˈlɪʃəs/

Pleasing to taste; tasty.

"The pizza was delicious, so I ate two slices. "

Illustration fireworks

fireworks noun

/ˈfaɪ̯.ə.wɜːks/ /ˈfaɪ̯.ɚ.wɝks/

A device using gunpowder and other chemicals which, when lit, emits a combination of coloured flames, sparks, whistles or bangs, and sometimes made to rocket high into the sky before exploding, used for entertainment or celebration.

"Commercial firework displays are commonly launched from boats or other vessels"

Illustration potassium

potassium noun

/pəˈtæsiəm/

A soft, waxy, silvery reactive metal that is never found unbound in nature; an element (symbol K) with an atomic number of 19 and atomic weight of 39.0983. The symbol is derived from the Latin kalium.

"The fertilizer contained potassium to help the plants grow stronger. "

Illustration explosive

explosive noun

/ɪkˈsploʊsɪv/ /ɛkˈsploʊsɪv/

Any explosive substance.

"The demolition crew carefully handled the explosive before the building implosion. "

Illustration explosions

explosions noun

/ɪkˈsploʊʒənz/ /ɛkˈsploʊʒənz/

A violent release of energy (sometimes mechanical, nuclear, or chemical.)

"Construction workers heard loud explosions during the demolition of the old building. "