thermite

T1H4E1R1M3I1T1E1
UK/ˈθɜː(ɹ).maɪt/

noun

A mixture of a metal and a metal oxide capable of producing a thermite reaction, such as aluminium metal and ferric oxide; used in incendiary devices.

OriginGerman Thermit ← Ancient Greek θερμός →
UncommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

nounthermite (countable and uncountable, plural thermites)

plural thermites

  1. countableuncountablechemistryA mixture of a metal and a metal oxide capable of producing a thermite reaction, such as aluminium metal and ferric oxide; used in incendiary devices.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekθερμός“heat”
  2. GermanThermit
  3. Englishthermite

From German Thermit, from Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós, “heat”) + -it; comparable to English therm- + -ite.

More words from German, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian термит
  • термит (termit)mixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Catalan termita
  • termitamixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Chinese Mandarin 鋁熱劑 /铝热剂
  • 鋁熱劑 /铝热剂 (lǚrèjì)mixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Dutch thermiet
  • thermietmixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Esperanto termito
  • termitomixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Finnish termiitti
  • termiittimixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
German Thermit
  • Thermitmixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Japanese テルミット
  • テルミット (terumitto)mixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Korean 테르밋, 테르미트
  • 테르밋 (tereumit)mixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
  • 테르미트 (tereumiteu)mixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Polish termit
  • termitmixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Russian терми́т
  • терми́т (termít)mixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Spanish termita
  • termitamixture of aluminum and ferric oxide
Swedish termit
  • termitmixture of aluminum and ferric oxide

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with thermite

termite
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

thermite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermite

MLA

“thermite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermite. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thermite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermite.

Source: thermite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.