kieselguhr
/ˈkiːzəlɡʊə/ noun
Forms kieselguhrs
- noun Diatomaceous earth, a kind of soft rock containing the remains of diatoms; it absorbs nitroglycerine and is used to manufacture dynamite.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from German Kieselguhr, older spelling of Kieselgur, from Kiesel (“pebble, gravel”) + Gur (“guhr”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Siliceous earth; specifically, porous infusorial earth, used as an absorbent of nitroglycerin in the manufacture of dynamite.
Etymology [G., fr. kiesel flint + guhr an earthy deposit or sediment in water.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “kieselguhr”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details