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unburned

unburned

1 3.9
Material left when fire or heat did not destroy it
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈbɜrnd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : no quemado
  • In L.A. smog, the soupy mix of unburned and partially burned hydrocarbons reacts with hydroxyl radicals and oxygen to form organic peroxides.
  • unburned hydrocarbons
  • unburned carbon

Examples

  • In pipeline applications, methane typically represents more than 90 percent of the unburned hydrocarbon present in the exhaust stream.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The sound of a car backfiring occurs when unburned fuel vapor is ignited by a very hot muffler upon the car being turned off.

  • But from the ashes, I withdraw part of an unburned stick that has already been dedicated to other people's prayers.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The smell of unburned hydrocarbons lingered in the air as they buzzed by.

    Blog text (24)
  • With less oxygen available per cubic meter of atmosphere, the efficiency of fossil-fuel combustion diminishes, and a relatively large amount of unburned hydrocarbons is created.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Moreover, intense, year-round sunshine at this latitude and elevation reacts with unburned hydrocarbons to form ozone-rich photochemical smog.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The unburned fuel in the tank must be removed before the engine can function properly.

  • He noticed the unburned carbon residue left on the burner after the experiment.

  • The technician explained how unburned hydrocarbons can contribute to air pollution.

Synonyms

uncharred
vsunburned
5.1

Not burned by fire or strong heat

refers to material remaining after an incomplete burn rather than only surface appearance
unsinged
vsunburned
5.3

Not burned or damaged by fire

refers to material remaining after an incomplete burn rather than only undamaged surface

Antonyms

burned
  • Specialized
2.1

A material that people heat to a high temperature to change its color or texture

How Burned

burned-out
  • US
7 4.3
burned
1.0
smoldering
  • US
18 6.3
singed
4 3.7
unburned
  • Specialized
1 3.9

Surface Forms

unburned positive
unburneder comparative
unburnedest superlative

Morphology

unburned = burned (transparent) = un + burn + ed

Negation 'un-' applied to 'burned' yields 'not burned' in a literal, compositional way (e.g., remaining after incomplete combustion).

Etymology

Unburned combines un- 'not' with burn 'to be used up by fire'. So unburned describes fuel or material that was 'not used up by burning' and remains after an incomplete burn.