gunpowder
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
guhnpowderSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɡʌnpaʊdɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks
An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.
indiainformal
Idli podi/milagai podi; ground-up dry spices mixed with oil and ghee and served alongside idli or dosa.
A form of Chinese green tea in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet.
verb
transitive
To destroy with gunpowder.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks
Used this way, gunpowder is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Synonyms
Sense: mixture of potassium nitrate or charcoal
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