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Fulminate
Definitions
- 1 Any salt or ester of fulminic acid, mostly explosive.
"On 19 February a jubilant Bigeard announced that his 3rd R.P.C. had seized eighty-seven bombs, seventy kilos of explosive, 5,120 fulminate of mercury detonators, 309 electric detonators, etc."
- 2 a salt or ester of fulminic acid wordnet
- 1 To make a verbal attack. figuratively, intransitive
"In short, the criticism which the great lexicographer fulminated against an unfortunate author, seems to have been adopted by the profession as applicable to everything under the sun […]"
- 2 cause to explode violently and with loud noise wordnet
- 3 To issue as a denunciation. figuratively, transitive
"They fulminated the most hostile of all decrees."
- 4 come on suddenly and intensely wordnet
- 5 To thunder or make a loud noise. intransitive
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- 6 criticize severely wordnet
- 7 To strike with lightning; to cause to explode. archaic, transitive
"the present owners couldn't afford the electric bills anymore, several amateur gaffers, sad to say, having already been fulminated trying to bootleg power in off the municipal lines."
- 8 to act as lightning, appearing quickly and destructively figuratively
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English fulminaten, borrowed from Latin fulminātus, perfect passive participle of fulminō (“to lighten, hurl or strike with lightning”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fulmen (“lightning which strikes and sets on fire, thunderbolt”), from earlier *fulgmen, *fulgimen, from fulgeō, fulgō (“flash, lighten”). Doublet of fulmine. More at fulgent.
From fulminic acid + -ate (“salt or ester”).
See also for "fulminate"
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