nitrous

1 of 2

noun

ni·​trous ˈnī-trəs How to pronounce nitrous (audio)
informal
: nitrous oxide
He began huffing nitrous by the case, causing vivid hallucinations.David Peisner

nitrous

2 of 2

adjective

archaic
: of, relating to, or containing niter

Examples of nitrous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
How effective nitrous is for alleviating pain is highly variable. Alice Callahan, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 The modifications include an engine that makes 570 rear-wheel horsepower, before nitrous, and which has a custom nitrous kit from Induction Solutions. Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 21 Mar. 2020 Actually, nitrous is making a comeback in U.S. maternity circles. Marie McCullough, Philly.com, 16 May 2018 The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr charges patients $25 to try nitrous, and $250 to use it at will during labor. Marie McCullough, Philly.com, 16 May 2018
Adjective
Goo brands a nitrous product called Power Hitter, according to the Select Distributors website. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024 On Thursday, Alabama is scheduled to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith with nitrous gas, a novel form of execution that has only been used on animals before now. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jan. 2024 In the cloakroom, a white-coated dentist operated two blue nitrous tanks, handing out balloons emblazoned with the High Times logo. Sean Howe, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2023 The federal government and state governments could also enact stronger standards on high global warming potential refrigerants, fugitive methane emissions, and nitrous dioxide emissions. Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023 Mackay further increased the pressure by flipping a switch that released helium from a smaller tank in the nose of the ship into the nitrous tank. Anna Russel, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2021 In the fourth installment of our series, Invisible, The Washington Post examines how over-fertilization in Mexico results in a surge of nitrous gas that scientists and the government are grappling to understand. Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2021 Another, nitrous dioxide, has been shown to impact lung function and raise respiratory infection risk, especially in young children. Jamie Gold, Forbes, 7 June 2022 To get airborne and soaring off to space, rockets need to burn a huge amount of propellant, which – depending on the type of fuel – can emit carbon dioxide, along with other pollutants like soot and nitrous gases. Miriam Fauzia, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nitrous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

New Latin nitrosus, from Latin, full of natron, from nitrum natron — more at niter

First Known Use

Noun

1977, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1583, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nitrous was in 1583

Dictionary Entries Near nitrous

Cite this Entry

“Nitrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitrous. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Medical Definition

nitrous

adjective
ni·​trous ˈnī-trəs How to pronounce nitrous (audio)
: of, relating to, or containing nitrogen especially with a lower valence than in corresponding nitric compounds
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