English

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Etymology

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The financial sense comes by metaphor from the sense of gunpowder kept dry to allow rapid loading of a firearm, as in the expression “keep one's powder dry”.

Noun

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dry powder (countable and uncountable, plural dry powders)

  1. A powder found in a fire extinguisher that is expelled to smother the fire (in contrast with liquid types of extinguisher).
  2. A powder found in an inhaler that delivers a bronchodilator for antiasthmatic or antiemphysemic purposes (indications).
  3. (finance) Cash (or cash-like securities) kept in reserve in case of need.
    Private equity firms were sitting on more than $1 trillion in dry powder at the end of 2011.
  4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dry,‎ powder; especially, gunpowder kept dry to keep it from spoiling before use.

Derived terms

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Translations

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