propellant
nounEtymology From propel + -ant.
› anything that propels
1
fuel, oxidizer, reaction mass or mixture for one or more engines (especially internal combustion engines or jet engines) that is carried within a vehicle prior to use
2
the compressed gas in a pressurised container (especially an aerosol can) that is used to expel its content
- Then they backed the membrane with a gel matrix containing a perfluorocarbon (PFC) propellant and fluorescent "nanobullets" about a micron wide, and hit it with ultrasound.2016 January 14, Jessica Hall, “Nanoengineers build 'microcannons' that fire light-up bullets filled with drugs”, in ExtremeTech:
3
the explosive (cordite, gunpowder, etc) found in ammunition cartridges
- Synonyms
- prop
- Derived terms
- bipropellant, prop, jet propellant, monopropellant, nonpropellant, propellantless, rocket propellant 1