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calcium carbide
noun
: a usually dark gray crystalline compound CaC2 used especially for the generation of acetylene and for making calcium cyanamide
Examples of calcium carbide in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to the report, the spill involved calcium carbide.
—Brianna Kwasnik, Arkansas Online, 7 Dec. 2021
According to the New Taipei City's Cultural Affairs Department, the earliest documentation of the technique involving calcium carbide is from around a century ago, during a period when the island was ruled by the Japanese.
—CNN, 20 Sep. 2021
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Water is pumped into a master chamber, and then siphoned into another, smaller chamber containing calcium carbide powder.
—Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 11 Sep. 2019
The first of its kind, the vehicle is powered by a chemical reaction between water and calcium carbide.
—Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 11 Sep. 2019
The incident occurred at Carbide Industries, a calcium carbide manufacturer in Lake Dreamland.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 16 Feb. 2018
The incident happened around 4:30 a.m. at Carbide Industries, a manufacturer of calcium carbide in Lake Dreamland.
—Thomas Novelly, The Courier-Journal, 15 Feb. 2018
Word History
First Known Use
1872, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near calcium carbide
Cite this Entry
“Calcium carbide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calcium%20carbide. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on calcium carbide
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about calcium carbide
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