propellant

 
Pronunciation: /prəˈpɛl(ə)nt/

noun

  • a substance that propels something, in particular:
  • an inert fluid, liquefied under pressure, in which the active contents of an aerosol are dispersed: the main uses of CFCs are in aerosols as propellants [mass noun]: aerosols are wastefully packaged, because they contain a lot of propellant as well as the product
  • an explosive that fires bullets from a firearm: the common gun propellants are either nitrocellulose or a mixture of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine [mass noun]: the company produced all sizes of propellant for weapons
  • a substance used as a reagent in a rocket engine to provide thrust: rocket propellants

adjective

  • capable of propelling something: propellant gases

Origin:

mid 17th century: originally from Latin propellent- 'driving ahead (of oneself)', from the verb propellere, later from propel

Spelling help

As a noun, propellant is always spelled with the ending -ant.