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Glite Dictionary
time-fuse

time-fuse

8.4
A small burning part set to burn for a fixed time before a bomb or shell explodes
  • noun
  • /taɪm-fjuːz/
  • NSFW
translation icon : fusión temporizada
  • To ensure the team could escape safely, they used a time fuse that would ignite the charge after two minutes.

Examples

  • The demolition experts relied on a time fuse to control the timing of the controlled blast.

  • If not for the train, we could set a time fuse and be miles away.

    The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

  • In quick succession, he taped the end of the detcord around a nonelectric blasting cap and then attached a time fuse and fuse lighter.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The engineer explained how a time fuse could be set to detonate the explosive after a delayed period.

Surface Forms

time-fuse singular
time-fuses plural

Morphology

time-fuse = time + fuse (transparent) = time + fuse

A straightforward compound where the meaning is directly a fuse that operates according to time.

Etymology

The word time-fuse comes from joining time and fuse, where a fuse is a burning 'cord' or small device that makes something explode when the fire reaches the end. So a time-fuse is a fuse set to burn for a chosen 'time' before the explosion, which explains its modern use as a timing device for bombs or shells.