rocket propellant
1
6.1
- noun
- /ˈrɒkɪt prəˈpɛlənt/
- Specialized
:
propulsor de cohetes
- The development of new rocket propellants aims to make space travel safer and more economical.
Examples
-
You want these rifle-mounted BG-15s, with the rocket propellant.
Fiction book (1996) -
Perch is used in solid rocket propellant, as well as in nuclear reactors and electronic tubes.
Academic text (2003) -
When the rocket propellant burns, it produces a river of gas... which flows through the convergent section of the nozzle.
-
Water is the most important substance to find and use in space; not only does it support human life by its consumption and provision of breathable oxygen, in its form as cryogenic liquid oxygen and hydrogen, it is the most powerful chemical rocket propellant known.
Blog text (1) -
Liquid oxygen is often used as a rocket propellant because of its high efficiency in producing thrust.
-
During the launch, the rocket propellant ignited, creating a powerful force that propelled the spacecraft into orbit.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A material burned to make energy for heat, light or engines
14
6.8
A substance that makes objects move forward, for example in rockets or spray cans
9
3.9
A substance you burn to move a rocket into space
A substance that pushes rockets or engines forward
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'rocket' (a vehicle) + 'propellant' (a substance that drives or propels). This straightforward noun–noun composition describes a material used to propel rockets and follows common cross-linguistic compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.
Etymology
Rocket propellant is a very literal name: rocket is the flying vehicle and propellant is the thing that 'pushes' it. Imagine fuel burning and sending out hot gas to push the rocket, so the phrase means the material used to make a rocket 'move'.