gunpowder

C2 Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdɚ/ UK /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/ See IPA manual

Freq #11435

Meanings

1

noun
An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.

They have been a bold, heroic, and purely self dependent nation, never having either courted,—or been subdued by—other Tribes or Europeans. But what early mind—a power—could face gunpowder and the ﬁrelocks? Hence their annihilation!
2

verb
To destroy with gunpowder.

[…] he was […] never getting into quarrels with his neighbors and gunpowdering them out of house and home. His subjects loved him.
3

noun
Idli podi/milagai podi; ground-up dry spices mixed with oil and ghee and served alongside idli or dosa.

Some restaurants try and give their dosas the "ethnic" touch by slipping along a small dish of mulaga podi-gunpowder mixed with oil as well, but that isn't always enough.
4

noun
a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

4 noun · a mixture of potassium... powder

Word family

Derived forms gunpowderishgunpowderousgunpowdery

Etymology

Possibly due to its smell resembling gunpowder during the British Raj.

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# gunpowder

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/
**Frequency rank:** 11435

## Meanings
1. An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.
2. To destroy with gunpowder.
3. Idli podi/milagai podi; ground-up dry spices mixed with oil and ghee and served alongside idli or dosa.
4. a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks

## Examples
- They have been a bold, heroic, and purely self dependent nation, never having either courted,—or been subdued by—other Tribes or Europeans. But what early mind—a power—could face gunpowder and the ﬁrelocks? Hence their annihilation!
- […] he was […] never getting into quarrels with his neighbors and gunpowdering them out of house and home. His subjects loved him.
- Some restaurants try and give their dosas the "ethnic" touch by slipping along a small dish of mulaga podi-gunpowder mixed with oil as well, but that isn't always enough.

## Derived Forms
- gunpowderish
- gunpowderous
- gunpowdery

## Etymology
Possibly due to its smell resembling gunpowder during the British Raj.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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