nitrocellulose

noun

ni·​tro·​cel·​lu·​lose ˌnī-trō-ˈsel-yə-ˌlōs How to pronounce nitrocellulose (audio)
-ˌlōz
: any of several nitric-acid esters of cellulose used especially for making explosives, plastics, and varnishes

Examples of nitrocellulose in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The nitrocellulose — or nitrate — used at the time as a base for filmmaking was quick to decompose and highly flammable; fires were not uncommon. — Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 This is mainly limited to the older celluloid ping-pong balls, which were traditionally made from nitrocellulose. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 26 Feb. 2026 In the Tianjin port, an initial explosion of nitrocellulose led to a much bigger detonation of eight hundred pounds of ammonium nitrate. — Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024 Cotton linters—the short fibers left on cottonseed after ginning—can be processed into nitrocellulose, a highly volatile, nitrogen-rich material known as guncotton that’s used as a primary ingredient in solid rocket propellants for ballistic missiles. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nitrocellulose

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nitrocellulose was in 1868

Rhymes for nitrocellulose

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Browse Nearby Words

nitrocalcite
nitrocellulose
nitrocotton
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Cite this Entry

“Nitrocellulose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitrocellulose. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

nitrocellulose

noun
ni·​tro·​cel·​lu·​lose -ˈsel-yə-ˌlōs, -ˌlōz How to pronounce nitrocellulose (audio)
: cellulose nitrate

More from Merriam-Webster on nitrocellulose

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nitrocellulose

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