propellant

1 of 2

adjective

pro·​pel·​lant prə-ˈpe-lənt 

variants or less commonly propellent

: capable of propelling

propellant

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly propellent

: something that propels: such as

a

: an explosive for propelling projectiles

b

: fuel plus oxidizer used by a rocket engine

c

: a gas kept under pressure in a bottle or can for expelling the contents when the pressure is released

Examples of propellant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Engineers eventually traced the problem to moisture, presumably from high humidity and torrential rain after rollout to the pad, that chemically reacted with thruster propellant to form corrosion. —William Harwood, CBS News, 7 May 2024

And because SpaceX intends to eventually refuel its Starship spacecraft while in orbit, the company also attempted to transfer propellant on this flight from one tank to another. —Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Latin prōpellent-, prōpellens, present participle of prōpellere "to push or thrust forward, compel to go onward" — more at propel

Noun

in part noun derivative of propellant entry 1, in part from propel + -ant entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1644, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1654, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

propellant

noun

pro·​pel·​lant

variants also propellent

prə-ˈpel-ənt

: something that propels: as

a

: fuel plus a chemical to supply oxygen used by a rocket engine

b

: a gas under pressure in a can for expelling the contents when the pressure is released