nitrous
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The system in some racing vehicles which pumps nitrous oxide into the engine to improve performance.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nihtruhsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnɪtɹəs
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
dentistryautomotiveinformal
The system in some racing vehicles which pumps nitrous oxide into the engine to improve performance.
adjective
chemistry
Of or containing nitrogen
chemistry
Of, relating to, or derived from nitrogen, especially in which the valence of the nitrogen is lower than that of a corresponding nitric species.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (automotive, informal) The system in some racing vehicles which pumps nitrous oxide into the engine to improve performance.
Used this way, nitrous is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It turns up most in everyday conversation and social media or informal writing contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Casual
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Casual and conversational
Where it naturally appears
- Everyday conversation
- Social media/informal writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Related to The system in some racing vehicles which pumps nitrous oxide into the engine to improve performance.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An unstable inorganic acid known only in solution and as nitrite salts.
Soil bacteria that oxidize ammonia to nitrites.
Any of the nitrobacteria that oxidize ammonia into nitrites.
Inhalation anesthetic used as an anesthetic in dentistry and surgery.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The radical -NO2 or any compound containing it (such as a salt or ester of nitrous acid).
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: of or containing nitrogen
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.