Gunpowder Meaning
/ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAn explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.
nounEllipsis of gunpowder tea.
Sentence Examples
Gunpowder needs to be handled very carefully.
We must prevent the fire from reaching the gunpowder at any cost.
Imperial expansion relied on the increased use of gunpowder.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
To fire the cannon, soldiers poured ____ into the barrel and lit the fuse.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The discovery of ____ in ancient China eventually revolutionized warfare and the design of modern weapons.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰéntis Proto-Germanic *gunþiz Old Norse gunnr Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂tís Proto-Germanic *hildiz Old Norse hildr Old Norse Gunnhildrder. Middle English gunne English gun English powder English gunpowder From gun + powder.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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!"
— ca. 1823, William E. Cormack, Cormack Papers, page 19/84 (note: on the annihilation of the Beothuk):
"[…] he was […] never getting into quarrels with his neighbors and gunpowdering them out of house and home. His subjects loved him."
— 1875, John H. Kingsbury, Kingsbury Sketches, page 54:
"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."
— 1989, Bombay: The City Magazine, page 26:
"It was a hardcore Andhra lunch from a restaurant famous for its lunch meals. And that is where I had my first run-in with 'gunpowder'. And to be honest, I hated it."
— 2015 June 12, Priyadarshini Nandy, “South India's Spice Hero: How to Make the Famous Gunpowder”, in NDTV:
"In fact, I’ve long suspected that the popularity of gunpowder or molagapodi outside South India has little to do with the burst of flavours it serves."
— 2020 May 27, Pooja Pillai, “The Back Burner: Homemade molagapodi is easier than you think”, in The Indian Express:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To fire the cannon, soldiers poured ____ into the barrel and lit the fuse.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The discovery of ____ in ancient China eventually revolutionized warfare and the design of modern weapons.