calcium carbide
noun
a grayish-black, lumpy, crystalline powder, CaC2, usually derived from coke or anthracite by reaction with limestone or quicklime: used chiefly for the generation of acetylene, which it yields upon decomposing in water.
Also called
carbide.
Origin of calcium carbide
First recorded in 1885–90
Words nearby calcium carbide
British Dictionary definitions for calcium carbide
calcium carbide
noun
a grey salt of calcium used in the production of acetylene (by its reaction with water) and calcium cyanamide. Formula: CaC 2
Sometimes shortened to: carbide