Definition

1. Noun:
   • A heavy, yellow, oily, poisonous, and highly explosive liquid. It is produced by chemically treating glycerol with nitric acid. It is used in the manufacture of explosives and, in controlled medical doses, as a drug to widen blood vessels (vasodilator).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The demolition crew handled the nitroglycerin with extreme caution.
  • Alfred Nobel found a way to stabilize nitroglycerin by absorbing it into diatomaceous earth, creating dynamite.
  • In medicine, nitroglycerin is administered under the tongue to relieve chest pain (angina).

Advanced Usage

• Chemical Compound: The systematic chemical name for nitroglycerin is .
• Medical Application: Medically, it functions as a potent vasodilator, rapidly increasing blood flow by relaxing and widening veins and arteries.

Variants and Related Words

• Nitroglycerine (n): An alternative spelling for nitroglycerin.
• Glyceryl trinitrate (n): The formal chemical name, often used in medical and scientific contexts.
• Dynamite (n): An explosive material in which nitroglycerin is absorbed onto an inert solid like diatomaceous earth, making it much safer to handle.
• Vasodilator (n): A type of drug or substance that causes blood vessels to widen. This is the primary medical function of nitroglycerin.

Synonyms

• Explosive oil (n): A descriptive synonym referencing its physical state and primary property.
• Trinitroglycerin (n): A less common chemical name.
• GTN (n): A common medical abbreviation for glyceryl trinitrate.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• A nitroglycerin situation: (Figurative) An extremely volatile, delicate, or dangerous situation that must be handled with the utmost care to avoid a disastrous outcome.
  • The tense negotiations between the two countries were a nitroglycerin situation for the diplomats.

Noun

1. a heavy yellow poisonous oily explosive liquid obtained by nitrating glycerol; used in making explosives and medically as a vasodilator (trade names Nitrospan and Nitrostat)