firedamp

noun

firedamp

noun

Etymology From fire + damp with 'damp' not in the usual sense of 'moist' but old German, modern Dutch, Danish 'damp' as steam or vapour, hence a gas liable to catch fire.

Business, Mining Usually A flammable gas (mostly methane) found in coal mines; forms an explosive mixture with air.

Derived terms: firedamp alarm, firedamp detector, firedamp drainage, firedamp explosion, firedamp fringe, firedamp layer, firedamp migration
Related terms: afterdamp

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.