Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A silicious infusorial earth, used as an absorbent for nitroglycerin in the manufacture of dynamite: same as infusorial silica.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Siliceous earth; diatomaceous earth; specifically, porous infusorial earth, used as an absorbent of nitroglycerin in the manufacture of dynamite.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A kind of soft rock containing the remains of diatoms; it absorbs nitroglycerine and is used to manufacture dynamite.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a light soil consisting of siliceous diatom remains and often used as a filtering material

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German Kieselgur : Kiesel, pebble (from Middle High German kisel, from Old High German chisil) + Gur, Guhr, ferment, earthy deposit from water (from gären, to ferment, blend of Middle High German jësan, from Old High German, and Middle High German *jern, to cause to ferment, from Old High German jerian; see yes- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From German Kieselguhr, from Kiesel ("pebble, gravel") + Guhr ("guhr").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word kieselguhr.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.