retardant

[ ri-tahr-dnt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Chemistry.

any substance capable of reducing the speed of a given reaction.

adjective

retarding or tending to retard (usually used in combination):
fire-retardant construction materials.

retardant

/ rɪˈtɑːdənt /

noun

a substance that reduces the rate of a chemical reaction

adjective

having a slowing effect

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Other Words From

re·tardance re·tardan·cy noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of retardant¹

First recorded in 1635–45; retard + -ant

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Example Sentences

Helicopters and big air tankers dropped retardant from high above the flames.

From Washington Post

Its lobbying pushed to add more flame-retardant materials to aircraft.

From Washington Post

Her team also sprayed layers of fire retardant paint, both on the front and back of the board to make sure the fire didn’t take over the entire piece.

From Time

Still only 30% of retardant is dropped within 2,000 yards of a neighborhood, meaning that it stands little chance of saving a life or home.

From ProPublica

You can now call in a 747 to drop 19,200 gallons of retardant.

From ProPublica

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