Gunpowder pile driver

Gunpowder pile driver
Gunpowder Gun"pow`der, n. (Chem.) A black, granular, explosive substance, consisting of an intimate mechanical mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur. It is used in gunnery and blasting. [1913 Webster]

Note: Gunpowder consists of from 70 to 80 per cent of niter, with 10 to 15 per cent of each of the other ingredients. Its explosive energy is due to the fact that it contains the necessary amount of oxygen for its own combustion, and liberates gases (chiefly nitrogen and carbon dioxide), which occupy a thousand or fifteen hundred times more space than the powder which generated them. [1913 Webster]

{Gunpowder pile driver}, a pile driver, the hammer of which is thrown up by the explosion of gunpowder.

{Gunpowder plot} (Eng. Hist.), a plot to destroy the King, Lords, and Commons, in revenge for the penal laws against Catholics. As Guy Fawkes, the agent of the conspirators, was about to fire the mine, which was placed under the House of Lords, he was seized, Nov. 5, 1605. Hence, Nov. 5 is known in England as {Guy Fawkes Day}.

{Gunpowder tea}, a species of fine green tea, each leaf of which is rolled into a small ball or pellet. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Pile driver — Pile Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gunpowder — Gun pow der, n. (Chem.) A black, granular, explosive substance, consisting of an intimate mechanical mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur. It is used in gunnery and blasting. [1913 Webster] Note: Gunpowder consists of from 70 to 80 per… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gunpowder plot — Gunpowder Gun pow der, n. (Chem.) A black, granular, explosive substance, consisting of an intimate mechanical mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur. It is used in gunnery and blasting. [1913 Webster] Note: Gunpowder consists of from 70 to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gunpowder tea — Gunpowder Gun pow der, n. (Chem.) A black, granular, explosive substance, consisting of an intimate mechanical mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur. It is used in gunnery and blasting. [1913 Webster] Note: Gunpowder consists of from 70 to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile — Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support of a …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile bridge — Pile Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile cap — Pile Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile dwelling — Pile Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile engine — Pile Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile plank — Pile Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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