gun-paper

English

Alternative forms

• gun paper
• gunpaper

Noun

gun-paper (usually uncountable, plural gun-papers)

1. Paper-pulp that has been impregnated with nitrates, used for the explosive charge in firearms.
   • 1867, Year-book of Facts in Science and Art, page 102:

     After rolling, the gun-paper is dried at 212° Fahr., and has the appearance of a compact grayish mass.

   • 1873, Van Nostrand's Eclectic Engineering Magazine - Volume 9, page 265:

     In the same lecture he noticed the decomposition of gun-paper by exposure to oxygen.

   • 1886, English Mechanics and the World of Science - Volume 42, page 293:

     Another very good material is gun-paper. which has been immersed for a few seconds in a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids, and then washed in an abundance of water.

Synonyms

• papyroxylin (obs.)