axite

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical: a proprietary smokeless powder used as a propellant in rifle cartridges

   The express rifle was loaded with axite rather than black powder.

2. 2
   noun

   neurobiology: a terminal branch of an axon

   Under the microscope, the axite divided close to the target tissue.

The propellant name Axite was a proprietary coinage used by the British ammunition maker Kynoch; its further formation is uncertain. The rare neurological homonym is ax- + -ite; ax- ultimately goes back to Greek axon ("axis").

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