pyroxylin

noun

py·​rox·​y·​lin pī-ˈräk-sə-lən How to pronounce pyroxylin (audio)
pə-
1
: a flammable mixture of nitrocelluloses used especially in making plastics and water-repellent coatings (such as lacquers)
2
: a pyroxylin product

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary pyr- + Greek xylon wood

First Known Use

circa 1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pyroxylin was circa 1847

Dictionary Entries Near pyroxylin

Cite this Entry

“Pyroxylin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyroxylin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

pyroxylin

noun
py·​rox·​y·​lin pī-ˈräk-sə-lən, pə- How to pronounce pyroxylin (audio)
: a flammable mixture of cellulose nitrates usually with less than 12.5 percent nitrogen that is less explosive than guncotton, soluble in a mixture of ether and alcohol or other organic solvents, and used especially in making plastics and coatings (as lacquers) see collodion
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