Meanings
nouncordite (countable and uncountable, plural cordites)
plural cordites
- countableuncountableA smokeless propellant made by combining two high explosives, nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine, used in some firearm ammunition.
The room contained an odd assortment of odors, of which the most emphatic at the moment seemed to be the pungent aftermath of cordite and the sickish aroma of ether.
1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, →ISBN, page 35
Origin
From cord + -ite, because the material is manufactured into long cordlike cylinders.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan cordita
- corditaa smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
Chinese Mandarin 線狀無煙火藥 /线状无烟火药, 柯代火藥 /柯代火药
- 線狀無煙火藥 /线状无烟火药 (xiànzhuàng wúyānhuǒyào)a smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
- 柯代火藥 /柯代火药 (kēdài huǒyào)a smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
Czech kordit
- kordita smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
Finnish kordiitti
- kordiittia smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
French cordite
- corditea smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
German Kordit
- Kordita smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
Irish coirdít
- coirdíta smokeless propellent used in some firearm ammunition
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
cordite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cordite
MLA
“cordite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cordite. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cordite,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cordite.
Source: cordite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.