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fire damp

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fire⋅damp

[fahyuhr-damp]
–noun Mining.
1. a combustible gas consisting chiefly of methane, formed esp. in coal mines, and dangerously explosive when mixed with certain proportions of atmospheric air.
2. the explosive mixture itself.

Origin:
1670–80; fire + damp
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fire·damp   (fīr'dāmp')   
n.  
  1. A combustible gas, chiefly methane, occurring naturally in mines from the decomposition of coal.

  2. The explosive mixture of firedamp and air.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fire·damp
Pronunciation: -"damp
Function: noun
: a combustible mine gas that consists chiefly of methane; also : theexplosive mixture of this gas with air —compare BLACK DAMP
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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