Friday, February 6, 2015

Word of the Day

pyrophoric
 \ pahy-ruh-FAWR-ik, -FOR- \, adjective;  
1.Chemistry . capable of igniting spontaneously in air.

Quotes:
Plutonium is highly reactive and pyrophoric . The ceramic crucibles are also inert and nonreactive.
-- Tom Clancy, "The Sum of All Fears," 1991

And since " pyrophoric " just means "inflames on contact with air" it is highly misleading to tell librarians that it isn't pyrophoric  in a vacuum.
-- Nicholson Baker, "Double Fold," 2001

Origin:
Pyrophoric  entered English in the late 1700s from the Greek root pyrophóros  meaning "fire-bearing."

Dictionary.com