cordite
2
9.9
- noun
- /ˈkɔrdˌaɪt/
- Archaic
:
cordita
- The smell of cordite hovered around him.
- the cordite smell
- cordite in the air
Examples
-
Same thing I've smelled since Normandy: diesel, cordite and death.
-
She had opened her son's closet when Andy had left the room and received a strong whiff of cordite from the clothing there.
Fiction book (1993) -
There is a sharp smell of cordite in the air.
Fiction book (2002) -
Metro police tell me there were no cordite traces on his hands.
-
For a brief moment, there was a refreshing smell of cordite in the air before the breeze dispersed it.
Fiction book (1999) -
The air smelled of cordite from the last wisps of firework smoke.
Fiction book (1996) -
They went nervously about their business, but even in these polished halls I could smell, like an echo, the sharp scent of cordite.
Fiction book (1996) -
The ground mist was absorbing the smells of the tank exhausts, which intensified the other smells: cordite, moist earth, leaking sap, and newly shattered trees.
Fiction book (1997) -
After the gunfire, the distinct scent of cordite lingered in the air.
-
The smell of cordite reminded the soldiers of the battles they had fought.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A highly flammable material made from cotton and strong acid used in explosives and varnish
A type of explosive used in guns and artillery that makes little smoke
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Cordite comes from the English word cord ('rope' or 'string') because early makers formed the smokeless explosive into long cord-like threads, and the ending -ite is a common ending in names of minerals and explosives. So cordite became the name for the rope-shaped powder used to fire bullets from cartridges.