Wiktionary

dynamite

See also: dynamité

English edit

 
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Etymology edit

Coined by Alfred Nobel in 1867. Ultimately from Ancient Greek δύναμις (dúnamis, “power”) +‎ -ite, most likely under the influence of dynamo or dynamic.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈdaɪ.nəˌmaɪt/
  • (obsolete) IPA(key): /ˈdɪ.nəˌmaɪt/[1]
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Noun edit

dynamite (usually uncountable, plural dynamites)

  1. A class of explosives made from nitroglycerine in an absorbent medium such as kieselguhr, used in mining and blasting.
  2. (informal, proscribed) A stick of trinitrotoluene (TNT).
  3. (figuratively, slang, uncountable) Anything exceptionally dangerous, exciting or wonderful.
    • 1977 April 30, Steve Sasville, “To Clothe Or Not...”, in Gay Community News, page 6:
      Even though sometimes I take differing views from some articles and letters in GCN, I think it's a dynamite piece of work. Good luck and thanks again.
    • 2005, Alex Turner (lyrics and music), “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”, performed by Arctic Monkeys:
      And your shoulders are frozen (Cold as the night) / Oh, but you're an explosion (You're dynamite)
    • 2016, Kit Moulton, Annabella, page 108:
      That girl was dynamite. Dark hair with killer blue eyes, bronze skin, and an exquisite full-figured body.
      He warned us: "That issue about what's been happening at that factory, is political dynamite. Keep the lid on it."
  4. (slang) A strong drug, in particular heroin, cocaine or potent marijuana.

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Verb edit

dynamite (third-person singular simple present dynamites, present participle dynamiting, simple past and past participle dynamited)

  1. To blow up with dynamite or other high explosive.
    • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 101:
      [...] on Sunday, August 23, the L.N.W.R. tunnel was closed to enable the old brickwork to be dynamited away, traffic being diverted meanwhile through the M.R. tunnel.
  2. (figuratively) To dismantle or destroy.
  3. (transitive, of brakes) To apply maximum pressure to very quickly.
    dynamite the brakes
    • 2009, Claude M. Pearson, Portia Rising, page 50:
      Juan dynamited the brakes and the car skidded to a halt.
    • 2014, Mike Davis, Hunting Men: The Career of an Oregon State Police Detective, page 6:
      The 1977 Pontiacs had a tendency of dying if you were at high speed and dynamited the brakes.
    • 2018, Laird Barron, Blood Standard:
      At the critical moment I'd learned from countless action flicks I dynamited the brakes and felt the impact of the sedan against my rear bumper.
  4. (intransitive, of brakes) To lock up from being invoked too suddenly.
    the brakes will dynamite

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hall, Joseph Sargent (1942 March 2) “2. The Vowel Sounds of Unstressed and Partially Stressed Syllables”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York: King's Crown Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § II.1, page 60.

Further reading edit

French edit

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

dynamite

  1. inflection of dynamiter:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative
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