nitrous

English

Etymology

From Middle French nitreux, and its source, Latin nitrōsus (“nitrose”). Doublet of nitroso.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪtɹəs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

nitrous

1. (now historical) Pertaining to or composed of nitre; having the properties of nitre, bitter. [from 16th c.]
   • a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Autumn”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:

     Whate'er the wintry Frost
     Nitrous prepar'd; the various-blossom'd Spring
     Put in white Promise forth; and Summer-Suns
     Concocted strong, rush boundless now to View […] .

2. (chemistry) Of, relating to, or derived from nitrogen, especially in which the valence of the nitrogen is lower than that of a corresponding nitric species. [from 17th c.]
3. (chemistry) Of or relating to nitrous acid or its derivatives.
4. (mycology, biology) Having a sharp odor like ammonia or nitric acid.

Derived terms

• nitrous air

 

Translations

of or relating to nitrogen

• Catalan: nitrós
• French: nitreux (fr), azoteux (fr)
• Hungarian: nitrogénes, salétromos (hu)
• Irish: nítriúil
• Italian: nitroso (it)
• Polish: azotawy
• Spanish: nitroso
• Thai: ไนตรัส (nai-dtrâs)

of, or relating to nitrous acid

• Bulgarian: азотист (azotist)
• Polish: azotawy
• Welsh: nitrus

Noun

nitrous (uncountable)

1. (dentistry, automotive, informal) Nitrous oxide.
2. (automotive, informal) The system in some racing vehicles which pumps nitrous oxide into the engine to improve performance.
   • 2002, Mike Kojima, Honda/Acura Engine Performance: How to Modify D, B and H Series Honda/Acura Engines for Street and Drag Racing Performance, Penguin, →ISBN, page 111:

     When a shot this big is being run, it will also be necessary to pull 6-10 degrees of timing out when the nitrous is being run.

   • 2004, Simon Carless, Gaming Hacks, "O'Reilly Media, Inc.", →ISBN, page 320:

     To simulate nitrous, we will use a very simple approach: apply a large force to the back of the car when the nitrous is on.

   • 2013, David Vizard, David Vizard's How to Super Tune and Modify Holley Carburetors, CarTech Inc, →ISBN, page 74:

     When tested on a typical summer day, an engine with fuel fed by an annular discharge booster could be 10 hp less over a stepped dogleg booster, but 10 hp more when the nitrous is in operation.

Anagrams

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